


The Way the Wind Blows

by movementinthedark



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, BB-8 is a tornado research instrument, Bickering, F/M, Life-Threatening Situations, Meteorologists, Minor Character Death, Minor Injuries, Storm Chasing, Tornadoes, Twister AU, colleagues to friends to lovers, falling in love while chasing tornadoes, in one weekend
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-29
Updated: 2020-08-27
Packaged: 2021-03-03 22:35:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 25,941
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24973183
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/movementinthedark/pseuds/movementinthedark
Summary: Twister AU. Meteorologist Rey Niima’s life is turned upside down when she takes part in a storm chasing trip with a team on the brink of a ground-breaking scientific achievement. It’s a career-making opportunity, if she could only stop arguing with the lead researcher, Poe Dameron. Tornadoes, close quarters, and rising tensions - what could possibly go wrong?
Relationships: Poe Dameron/Rey
Comments: 34
Kudos: 79





	1. Ready

**Author's Note:**

> So I was considering ideas for a new Damerey fic and Twister was on TV, and…this happened. I have such a soft spot for Twister, I watched it so many times as a kid. I hope this will be a fun read for others who love the film, although you certainly don’t need to be familiar with it to read this.
> 
> I’ve followed the plot of Twister pretty closely, especially regarding the tornado scenes (as I don’t have much other tornado knowledge to draw from!). I’ve changed some details in other places to better suit the Star Wars characters. It’s also worth noting that all of the science in the fic is directly taken from Twister, which I’m sure is not known for its accuracy (especially how the characters seem to continually survive insane situations!).
> 
> As this is a story about chasing tornadoes, you can obviously expect descriptions of tornadoes and their effects, property destruction, minor injuries, and frequent intense and life-threatening situations. There is one instance of a more serious injury and one instance of minor character death, and I’ll post warnings in those chapters when they come up.
> 
> One other warning - several BB units are damaged/destroyed in this fic. They are scientific instruments, and not intelligent, adorable droids, but still… consider yourself warned.
> 
> This fic is finished, and I'll be posting one chapter a week.
> 
> Thanks so much for reading!

_Oklahoma, June 1996._

_…still looks like a stormy weekend ahead, folks, with local meteorologists predicting a sizable band of severe weather moving across the state of Oklahoma. Right now, it’s a sunny 75 degrees…”_

The radio was abruptly cut off as Rey cut the ignition, retrieving her bag from the passenger seat before stepping out into, yep, 75 degrees. It didn’t matter that she’d miss the rest of the weather report. Just inside the building ahead, Rey had access to some of the best weather prediction equipment anywhere, and she also had a PhD in meteorology.

A blast of cool air hit her as she stepped through the doors - Oklahomans took their air-conditioning seriously-, nodding to a few familiar faces as she made her way through the halls. Rey had been at the National Severe Storms Laboratory for just over nine months, and she was only just beginning to feel like she knew who people were. Beyond her immediate team, that was. Stopping by the kitchen for a cup of admittedly terrible tea, Rey found someone she did know - Rose - frowning at the coffeemaker.

“Problem?”

“Oh! Hi Rey,” Rose said cheerfully, before turning her attention back to the appliance. “This thing’s acting up again.”

“I don’t know, Rose,” Rey said seriously, retrieving a cup and a tea bag from a nearby shelf. “You’re a genius with Doppler, but you can’t handle the coffeemaker?” She ducked out of the way of the coffee filter flung at her head and approached her colleague - _friend_ \- with a sympathetic grin. “Can I help?”

Rose waved her off, laughing now, too. “Nah, I’ve got it. You should get down to the lab. All kinds of commotion.” She shot Rey a conspiratorial look. “Big storms this weekend.”

“We’re going in the field?”

Rose shrugged. “No official word yet. But I’ve been here since four, and Poe hasn’t sat down once, so…”

“And that’s different from normal how?” Rey quipped, glancing at her watch. Seven-thirty.

Rose shook her head, a smirk playing around her mouth. “You two. Seriously.”

“Us two what?”

But Rose just waved her off. “I’ll see you down there.” And so Rey made her tea and went.

She didn’t go directly to the lab Rose had mentioned, but rather the one next door, which was technically her home during her time at NSSL. It was just getting going for the day, a couple of still yawning doctoral students booting up their laptops. Near the far wall, studying a radar display, was Leia.

She spotted Rey immediately.

“What are you doing _here_?” She called out, raising an eyebrow at the younger woman. “I thought you’d be next door already.”

“Well, I did think I ought to check in with you first,” Rey returned, depositing her bag and her tea in her usual workspace. Well, until lately, anyway.

Leia waved a hand, crossing the room. “Don’t be ridiculous. We both know he’s going to need you today.”

Leia Organa was the reason Rey had pursued a fellowship at NSSL; well, that, and the fact that it was the best place in the world to study tornadoes. But even that was a reputation that Leia had played a considerable part in establishing. She was one of the most preeminent scientists in the field of tornado research, holding long-running posts both at NSSL and on the teaching faculty of the nearby University of Oklahoma. Rey had nearly keeled over with excitement when she’d been granted the opportunity to join Leia’s lab as a postdoc.

Which made her feel moderately guilty about having spent so much time out of it, of late. Specifically, in the lab down the hall, headed by Leia’s former doctoral student Poe Dameron. Not that Leia minded; in fact, it had been her idea.

“Just stop by later, when you have a moment,” Leia went on. “I have something I want to ask you about.”

Rey paused in retracing her steps. “What is it?”

But Leia was smiling and shaking her head. “I’ll tell you you later. Nothing to worry about.” She shooed Rey towards the door. “Go! I’ll be here when you get back.”

Rey met the man himself just outside the adjoining lab, he exiting as approached along the corridor. He did, in fact, look like he hadn’t sat down in hours, or, possibly, slept.

“Rey! Good. We need to double-check inventory on all the BB units first thing. And take a look at the radar, I need your eyes on it.” He didn’t wait for her reply, just continued past her down the hall.

Rey rolled her eyes. Typical. “We going in the field, Dameron?” Oh, how she hoped. She hadn’t seen many tornadoes since her arrival in Oklahoma at the end of the previous summer. Hardly any, in fact. It had been a quiet year thus far.

Poe didn’t respond, just waved a hand without turning around. He disappeared around the corner, and Rey sighed, heading into the lab. It was smaller than Leia’s and not as well outfitted, not atypical for a relatively new lab still proving itself. And what they didn’t have in resources, the team made up for with creativity and enthusiasm. She brightened immediately at the sight of Finn, poring over some printouts at a table. He looked up and grinned.

“Bad mood?” She asked.

His brow furrowed. “Me?”

“No, him.” Rey jerked a thumb over her shoulder at the way she’d come.

“ _Always_.” Finn over-exaggerated the word, and Rey laughed, dropping into the seat beside him. “You Brits and your tea,” he teased, eyeing the cup in her hands.

“ _Hey_.” Rey gave him a look and took a long sip. “Don’t knock the tea.”

Finn chuckled. “How’re you, peanut?”

Finn had been her first friend at NSSL and was still easily her closest. He’d cheerfully accosted her on her first day, dragging her on a tour of the facility, introducing her to everyone they encountered, and telling her all the best places to go nearby for lunch. Rey had been initially alarmed, and then delighted, even more so when it had become clear they’d be working together.

The easy camaraderie they’d instantly shared was a definite contrast to her relationship with Poe. Rey honestly wasn’t sure exactly what it was. She liked Poe, respected him. He was smart, hard-working, and kind. This was his lab, his project, the BB units they’d developed based on his design. But something about the man got under her skin, and she knew he felt the same way about her. They worked well enough together for the most part, if you discounted the bickering. And since he was the principal investigator, she couldn’t exactly avoid him, unless she wanted off the project. And as much as she would have been thrilled to spend the rest of her days back in Leia’s lab, walking away from the BB project was decidedly _not_ an option. 

In literally any other circumstance, the fact that she was essentially being loaned out to the lab next door, instead of working full time with her dream professional mentor, would be extremely upsetting. Except. Except Poe, who had himself started out in Leia’s lab, whose research the older woman championed as passionately as she did her own, just so happened to be heading a project that was, in Rey’s opinion, just about the most exciting thing currently happening in the field. And Leia thought so, too, which is why she’d offered up her own postdoc to support it, knowing Rey and Poe were an academic match made in heaven. Just not a personal one, apparently.

She nudged Finn’s shoulder. “Pretty good. Better if we get in the field.”

“What do you think?”

She eyed the radar displays along the far wall, tracking the familiar colors and patterns with a practiced eye. Rey smiled. “I think it’s going to be a stormy weekend.”

\------------

“Oh, good, Rey. There you are!”

At Leia’s warm greeting, Rey stepped fully into the office, closing the door behind her before taking the offered chair. A tiny space off the lab, Leia’s office reflected what Rey liked to think of as a glimpse into the woman’s mind: a bit cluttered, with more accumulated information than it sometimes knew what to do with, but always ready to offer a bit of knowledge or wisdom pertinent to the situation at hand.

“Sorry it’s taken so long,” Rey apologized. Somehow, it was already nearly noon.

Leia smiled. “No need to apologize, and I won’t keep you long, I know there’s a lot going on, what with the weather forecast for the weekend.”

It was all anyone had talked about all day. The approaching series of storms, the nearest still the better part of a day away, looked to be the biggest the state of Oklahoma had seen in more than a decade. 

“It looks like it’s going to be pretty extraordinary,” Rey agreed. And they likely wouldn’t get a better chance to deploy BB, the instrument they’d all worked so hard on developing, but Dameron still hadn’t confirmed they’d be heading into the field. Of _course_ they’d be heading into the field, it’d be crazy not to-

“You’ll be in the field, no doubt,” Leia said, clearly following the line of Rey’s thoughts. At Rey’s raised eyebrow, she chuckled. “Poe’s never been a planner, but he wouldn’t miss this opportunity. I just hope you hadn’t counted on a relaxing weekend.”

Rey laughed. “I’d rather be storm chasing.”

Leia smiled conspiratorially. “So would I.” She folded her hands, resting them on top of her desk. “Now. I wanted to talk to you about your plans for next year.”

Rey sat up straighter. Her postdoctoral fellowship was up for renewal in September, less than three months away. She hadn’t yet finalized what she’d be doing next, although she hoped-

“I think you know that I’ve been thrilled to have you in the lab and with the research you’ve contributed thus far. Poe has also spoken very highly of your work on the BB project-“ R _eally? Poe had said that?_ Leia was still talking. “-and, if all goes well and he gets additional funding to support his lab, I might just have some competition in keeping you. But putting that aside for now, would you be interested in staying on with me?”

“Yes!” Rey nearly shouted, before reining herself in. “I mean, yes. Of course I would.”

Leia smiled. “I’m glad to hear that. Of course, you don’t need to decide right now, and we’ll talk further in the next couple of weeks. I didn’t know if you’d envisioned returning to Jakku, or to the UK, and I wanted to give you some time to think it over.”

Jakku, in Arizona, where she’d done her PhD. At twenty-one, she’d been the youngest doctoral candidate in the program, and the only woman, when she’d arrived nearly six years earlier. She’d given some thought to going back - the university was pursuing all kinds of fascinating meteorology research. Or England, where Rey had spent nine long years with her wealthy, disinterested, and unfeeling grandfather, followed by three much more enjoyable ones at university. Even so, returning to the US for graduate school had definitely not been a mistake. And as much as she loved Arizona, the flat farmland of Oklahoma reminded her of her early childhood in the Texas Panhandle; she’d been surprised by how quickly she’d felt at home. Besides, in Leia’s lab or Poe’s, the opportunity to participate in such ground-breaking research was exactly what she’d always hoped for.

Rey shook her head. “I don’t need to think about it. I’d love to stay, if you’ll have me.”

\------------

She had to resist the urge to literally skip back down the hall, buoyant with excitement. She couldn’t wait to tell Finn. And she’d have to thank Poe. Rey suspected that Leia would have wanted to keep her on regardless, but she knew the older woman held Poe’s opinion in high regard. And, after all, it certainly couldn’t hurt to have two principal investigators at NSSL interested in her working in their labs.

The lab was buzzing with activity when she came through the door. Across the room, Snap and Jess were packing spare parts into crates. Rose and Iolo were deep in discussion in front of a radar screen, Finn was hunched over a separate laptop, and Poe was looking over a map on one of the center tables, Karé leaning over his shoulder.

“Oh, you’re back,” he said, spotting Rey. He got up and approached her, Karé sliding into his vacated seat. “We’re going out tomorrow.”

Rey couldn’t stop the smile. “Finally! I’ve been waiting for you to tell us all day.”

Poe shrugged. “Needed to make sure the storms were tracking as predicted before I hauled the whole lab into the field.” He couldn’t quite keep himself from smiling, though, and Rey knew he was pleased. “We’ll have to start early. Can you be here at five?”

“Sure,” Rey agreed. She’d do just about anything to get out there, but maybe Poe didn’t need to know that. “No problem.”

“And pack for overnight, we might be out there all weekend.”

Rey nodded. “Yup.”

“You have chased storms before, haven’t you?”

Rey raised an eyebrow. Was that a serious question? “Hard to do a PhD in tornadogenesis without, isn’t it?”

Poe inclined his head in acknowledgment. “I suppose so. I just want to make sure you know what you’re getting into.”

“I do,” she assured him, trying not to feel annoyed by the insinuation otherwise. “I promise.”

“Okay. Good.” He turned to head back towards Karé and the map, waving a hand in her general direction. “Just make sure to wear clothes you don’t mind getting dirty.”

Now Rey did roll her eyes at his retreating back, before glancing down at her blouse and skirt. Did he really think she’d wear this out storm chasing? Just because he hardly ever bothered to put on a tie didn’t mean that she didn’t dress up for the office. Well, he’d certainly be seeing dressed-down Rey over the weekend. _Honestly_.


	2. F1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The action begins, and Rey and Poe spend some...err...quality time together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to everyone who has read/kudos-ed/commented thus far!
> 
> I also realized that I left off one warning at the start of the fic, which is that this story involves a developing relationship between two people who are in a (kind of, not quite) employer/employee situation, with the inherent power imbalance. It does get discussed, but this is also a fanfic universe where things work out in a way that they maybe wouldn't in real life. Just wanted to flag that for anyone who may find it problematic.

_Rey jolted awake, as a flash of lightning lit up her room. She clutched a well-loved teddy bear as the thunder rumbled overhead, but the noise didn’t fade away, like it usually did. It stretched on into a continuous roar, growing louder. Then, another noise: footsteps pounding up the stairs, before her bedroom door flew open._

_“Rey, honey, it’s time to get up.” Her mother rushed to her side, gathering Rey into her arms. “We have to go downstairs, come on.” Rey clung to her mother, and her teddy bear, as they moved back out into the hallway, heading for the stairs. Her father was waiting at the bottom._

_“Come on, come on!” He urged, shouting to be heard over the noise. Rey held on tighter as her mother hurried down the stairs. The front door rattled. As her mother hit the bottom step and rounded the corner, Rey got a glimpse out the nearest window. A glimpse of dark, swirling cloud._

_The kitchen table was wedged into the hallway instead of in its usual place. Rey’s mother was ducking down to crawl under it, holding a careful hand over the girl’s head._

_“Be brave,” she said into Rey’s ear, barely audible over the roar of the storm. “Be brave.”_

Rey jolted awake with a gasp.

There was no storm, no roar. Her mother and father were long gone. In the quiet of her bedroom, in her tiny rented house in Oklahoma, Rey took a deep breath. The air was still, peaceful, but storms _were_ coming. She glanced at the clock. 3:30 AM.

She might as well get up.

\------------

Six hours later, in a field in rural Oklahoma, Rey stuck her head out the open door of the van, peering up to where Rose and the portable Doppler were perched on the roof.

“Okay!” Rose shouted down. “Try it again.”

Rey went back to the laptop, restarting the scan. To her great relief, the screen immediately began to display the first radar results. Or, at least, the first results they’d had since the Doppler had malfunctioned twenty minutes earlier.

“We got it!” She hollered and, a minute later, Rose slid off the roof and swung into the van beside her. Rey honestly didn’t know where they’d be without Rose. While all of their team had fairly extensive knowledge about radar equipment, and engineering in general, Rose was genuinely a Doppler whisperer. With the project as underfunded as it was, they had to make do with the sometimes temperamental equipment they had. Not to mention the vehicles. Rey and Rose were squatting in an old passenger van with all but the front seats pulled out, now filled instead with equipment. Besides that, they had a second van, one SUV and Poe’s pickup to transport the Doppler, four BB units the size of industrial garbage cans, spare parts, laptops, cameras, and anything else they might possibly need. Oh, and eight people with overnight bags, food, and many bottles of water.

“We back up yet?” That was Poe, leaning in the open van door. “We need Doppler back online-“

“I know,” Rey said, glancing at him over her shoulder. “And yes, just. Looks like the dryline has stalled. Rose, can you scan west-northwest? Look at mid-levels for rotation.”

“On it,” Rose affirmed.

Outside, Poe had turned to look into the distance, shielding his eyes with one hand. There wasn’t really anything to see yet, at least not with the naked eye. It was partly cloudy and already hot, with the occasional rumble of thunder in the distance. Leaving Rose to watch the radar, Rey climbed out of the van to stand next to Poe. Twenty feet away, Jess was studying a map spread out on the hood of the SUV and, just beyond her, Finn was cleaning his camera. Beyond his extensive expertise in meteorology, Finn had taken some of the best pictures of storms Rey had ever seen.

“Data shows the storms are lined up one right after the other,” Poe said. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”

“Is BB ready?”

Poe’s eyes flicked to hers, before returning to the horizon. “All ready to go.”

BB. The product of Poe’s blood, sweat and, yes, probably tears over the past several years. The rest of the team had been involved for varying lengths of time, and they were all passionate about the project, but it was his baby. The acronym stood for Better Barometer, which was kind of a silly name, but it had been a joke early on and apparently stuck. Across the field where Poe’s truck was parked, Rey could see one secured in the bed, the lettering - BB-5 - and the streaks of orange paint just visible from the distance. They had four in total: BB-6 was in the Doppler van behind them, and BB-7 and BB-8 in the other van. There had been four earlier prototypes, paving the way for the current design.

BB was a tornado research instrument, the first of its kind. The cylindrical metal container held hundreds of sensors, which would be released up inside the tornado and relay information about its internal structure and behavior, information that had never before been accessible. If successful, it would be a ground-breaking achievement that would forever change tornado research and enable the design of a better warning system.

It would save lives.

“You want a front row seat?”

Rey glanced over at Poe. “I thought that’s what we were getting.”

He cracked a half-grin. “No, I mean-“ He nodded towards his truck. “I could use a second set of hands.”

Rey’s eyes widened. For BB to work, they had to first get it up inside of a tornado. That meant getting in front of the storm, putting BB in its path, and then getting the hell out of the way. There was no question that it’d be Poe taking that risk, but was he really offering- “Are you serious?”

“Only if you’re up for it.”

“I’m up for it.” Rey worked hard to keep her voice even, suppressing the uncharacteristic urge to bounce up on her toes. She didn’t want Poe to think she was only a thrill-seeker. She was a serious scientist, thrill-seeking was just a side benefit. “I just assumed one of the others would want to?”

Truthfully, she hadn’t expected Poe to let her ride with him. He didn’t seem convinced that she had any real experience with storm chasing. She’d caught a lift into the field with Jess and Iolo and assumed she’d be with them for the duration; not that she minded, they were both great, but it was nothing like being out in front.

“Nah.” Poe shook his head. “It’s not for everyone. Any storm chasing has some element of risk, but putting yourself in the damage path is something else altogether.” He glanced over at her, brow furrowed. “You can say no. I’d never expect you to do it if you’re not comfortable.”

“I’m comfortable.” Rey assured him, holding his gaze. “I want to do it.”

“Okay then.” Poe smiled at her, his eyes sparkling, and Rey felt a moment of unusual kinship between them. Here, too, was someone else who thrived on the thrill of the chase.

“You guys?” Rose called from inside the van. “I’ve got something here.”

Rey and Poe turned around in unison, just in time to see Karé running towards them from the other van, a cell phone in hand. “We’ve got action!” She shouted, skidding to a stop in the grass a few feet away. “NSSL says the caps are breaking, the tower's going up to 30 miles up the dryline.”

“We’re getting reports of mesos all the way from Takodana to Crait,” Finn chimed in, having just joined the group, the others not far behind.

_Mesos_. Short for mesocyclones. Regions of atmospheric rotation, mesocyclones didn’t always produce tornadoes, but they very often did.

“Okay!” Poe clapped his hands together. “Let’s go.”

The team immediately sprang into action. Finn scrambled up onto the roof of the Doppler van, Iolo on his heels, the two carefully lowering the radar equipment down so Rose could secure it in the back. Jess was rolling up maps, and Snap and Karé were hurriedly gathering the other supplies they’d strewn around their temporary camp, stowing everything in the vehicles. Rey moved to help them, as Poe went to check that BB-5 was safely secured in the back of his truck.

In a matter of minutes, they were all sliding into their vehicles, the air filled with shouts and slamming car doors. Rey scrambled into the passenger seat of Poe’s truck as he turned on the ignition, and a moment later they were pulling out of the field onto the dusty road.

He reached for the two-way radio, switching it on. “Jess, can we do better than the 94?”

There was a crackle and then her voice came back over the com. She and Iolo were in the SUV just behind them, he driving so Jess could navigate. Finn and Rose were next in the Doppler van, with Snap and Karé’s van bringing up the rear. “No, we’re best to stay on that for now.”

“Copy,” Poe affirmed.

The radio crackled again. “Jeez Niima, you ditched us for Dameron?” Jess laughed.

“What can I say, she got a better offer,” Poe quipped, winking at Rey. She shook her head at him in what was supposed to be exasperation, but she couldn’t help smiling.

“Sorry, Jess,” she called out.

“It’s fine, it’s fine,” the other woman jokingly huffed. “But you do know, Dameron, it has nothing to do with you. Girl’s just in it for the tornadoes.”

Fabulous, and now she was blushing. She really hoped Poe couldn’t tell. Even after knowing them for months, Rey was still somewhat unused to the lively banter amongst the team. She’d never been with a group of people who had quite so much fun while working so hard, or while heading into potentially dangerous situations.

“Okay, so,” Poe’s voice startled Rey from her thoughts. “We should probably run through the start-up procedure for BB. You know, in case you have to do it while I’m…driving.”

Rey hadn’t really entertained that possibility, but now, thinking about, it did seem reasonably likely. Good thing she was prepared. “Second pair of hands, right?”

He shrugged, grinning, but then his eyes widened. “Are you not comfortable with that? It’s okay if you’re not comfortable-“

“Dameron!” Rey cut him off. “Would you stop assuming I’m not comfortable? I’ve been working on BB for months now. I think I know how to power it up, _even_ in a high-pressure situation.”

“Okay, well, I just want to make sure,” he pressed on, and Rey suppressed the urge to roll her eyes. “There are a bunch of things that have to happen, in sequence, and we can’t afford to get it wrong-“

“I know-“

“And you’ve never done it in the field-“

“Right, but-“

“With an actual tornado bearing down on you-“  


“Yes, I do know what ‘in the field’ means-“

“Uh, Poe?” That was Snap, his voice filtering into the truck over the radio. “Looks like we’ve got company.”

Poe glanced into the rearview mirror and cursed. Rey twisted around in her seat to look out the back, eyes widening at the column of sleek, black SUVs quickly gaining on them.

“Um.” Rey looked over at Poe. “Who’re these guys?” The lead SUV had pulled level with them now and, past Poe, Rey could see the man in the passenger seat. He had red hair, pale skin, and a severe, pinched expression.

“That’s Armitage Hux.” Poe inclined his head in a nod, and Hux nodded stiffly back. “Corporate-funded meteorologist. We were both in Leia’s lab as students, but now First Order bankrolls his research.”

“He looks…” Rey sought the appropriate word. She’d heard of First Order - lots of money, unscrupulous business practices. “Unpleasant.”

Poe huffed a laugh. The black SUV had pulled ahead. “That’d be an understatement. You know, he stole my design. For BB.”

Rey’s mouth dropped open. “You seem surprisingly unconcerned about that.”

“Well, I’ve known for awhile.” He caught Rey’s eye, smirking. “Hux has every tool at his disposal, but no instincts. He’s not going to get it in the air before we do.”

“As much as I love trash talking Hux,” Rose chimed in over the radio. “We’re coming up on the battle zone, should be due northeast.”

Instinctively, Rey craned her neck to peer out the windshield in that direction. She noticed Poe had done exactly the same.

“Look at that cloud cover,” he murmured. “Karé, what are we getting for readings? No, wait, wait. I see it.”

And Rey had seen it too, the funnel swirling down out of the clouds, reaching towards the ground. No matter how many storms she had chased, it was always a thrilling sight.

The second to last First Order SUV - there were six in all - had just cleared the front of Poe’s truck. He pressed down on the gas, regaining ground, and Rey smirked. Despite what he’d just said about Hux, he wasn’t going to take any chances on the other man getting there first. She kept her eyes on the storm, tracking its movement, and _wait_. Wasn’t it-?

“Dameron, stop, stop!”

“What?” He exclaimed, not taking his eyes off the road. “Why?”

“Stop the car!” She whacked him on the shoulder. “Stop the car!”

He did, thankfully, the black SUVs sailing by as they came to an abrupt halt. “What the hell, Rey-“

“ _Look!”_ She pointed at the tornado. “Look at the updraft, the angle! It’s going to shift to the right.”

He stared for one beat. Then two. “Holy shit. This is what I’m talking about,” he exclaimed, slamming the truck into reverse. “Instincts!”

“Am I wrong?”

“No!” Poe was backing up in a semi-circle. “You’re not wrong!”

“Then what are you doing?”

He put the truck back in drive, fully turning it around. Now in front of them, Iolo honked his horn and then lifted his hands in question. “There was a road back there!”

“You’re right, you’re right!” Rey leaned forward, hands braced against the dash as Poe drove past the rest of the team and took a sharp left onto a smaller country road. In the rearview mirror, Rey could see their other vehicles turning to follow them. Poe was driving faster now, the tornado clearly visible to their left. A car passed them going the opposite direction, blaring its horn.

“We have to get into that field!” Poe’s eyes darted between the tornado and the road in front of them. “Otherwise we won’t be able to get ahead of it!”

Rey scanned the grassy expanse along the road’s edge. The grass was tall, it wouldn’t be easy to just pull into the field. “What do you suggest?” 

“It’s about three miles out, moving southeast,” Snap called over the radio.

“You see that?” Rey looked at where Poe was pointing. Coming up, on the left-hand side, was some kind of path or ditch that ran parallel to the road, just barely wide enough for the truck.

“Do it.”

“Hang on!” Poe swerved into the ditch without slowing down, the truck bouncing over the uneven ground. Rey braced herself against the roof of the car.

“Poe, where are you?” That was Iolo. “We can’t see you!”

Almost immediately, the ditch grew deeper, the ground sloping up on either side of the truck.

“It’s only two miles out!” Rose shouted. “It’s moving fast!”

“This may not have been the best idea,” Poe ground out, holding tight to the steering wheel and trying to keep them on a steady course.

Rey looked at the steep sides, too steep to drive over, and turned to see the tornado bearing down on them from behind and to the left. She could hear the roar now, not the loudest she’d ever heard, but unmistakable. “We need to get out of this!”

“You think?” Poe bellowed back. “I’m trying! It’s too steep!”

“You’re too close!” Snap shouted. “It’s coming right at you, you guys need to get out of there!”

“I can’t see it!” Poe exclaimed. “Oh shit.” Rey wasn’t sure if that was because he finally did see it, or because of the low overpass directly ahead, blocking their path. He slammed on the brakes as debris sailed by, and they skidded into it. Rey threw open her door to whipping winds and an even louder roar, scrambling out of the truck and meeting Poe at the back.

“There’s no time!” Poe shouted, as she reached for the tailgate. He pushed her towards the overpass. “We gotta go!”

“What?” Rey struggled against him, trying to get back to the BB unit. “What are you doing?! We have to-“

“It’s not worth it!” Poe got his arms around her waist, nearly lifting her off the ground as he propelled her forward, away from the truck and the tornado. “Get under there!”

With a glance back at the swirling storm just behind them, Rey ducked under the overpass and grabbed onto the nearest support post. Poe scrambled in after her, wrapping his arms around her to hold on to it as well, his body covering hers.

“Hold on as tight as you can!” He shouted. His lips were right by her ear, but she could barely hear him over the noise of the storm.

“I know!” She hollered back. She turned her head to watch, the twister a violent cloud of wind, dust, and debris only yards away. For all her storm chasing, she’d never been this close to one before. Well, once, she had. A long, long time ago.

The back wheels of Poe’s truck were lifting off the ground. It pulled away from the overpass and then slammed back into it, showering them with wood chips, and Rey ducked her head instinctively, squeezing her eyes shut. All she could hear was the roar of the storm; all she could feel was the forceful tug of the winds, and the weight of Poe’s body against hers. And then, suddenly, the tornado was gone.

She cautiously opened her eyes just in time to see the back wheels of Poe’s truck reconnect with the ground with a distinct thud. The air was quiet, still.

“My truck’s still there,” Poe said, in something akin to disbelief. “Rey, are you okay?”

“Yeah,” she managed, although it came out as more of a cough. “Yeah.” Where it hadn’t been weird when they were trying not to die, being so close to Poe now felt a little… unprecedented. He seemed to realize it, too, for he disentangled himself and crawled out from under the overpass, offering her a hand.

“Here.”

Once on her feet, Rey looked around. They were both covered in mud, but unharmed. Poe’s truck was, in fact, still there, and looked more or less intact.

“BB wasn’t quite so lucky,” she observed, looking to where the metal cylinder had been pulled from the truck bed and smashed on the ground, the sensors scattered in all directions.

“I know.” Poe heaved a sigh. “Not the best start. But I suppose that’s why we built four of them.”

“We might be able to salvage some of the sensors.” Rey nudged one with her foot. Some looked beyond repair, but others not too bad. Honking drew her attention as the rest of the team pulled up on the parallel road.

“You guys okay?” Jess shouted, the first one out of her vehicle.

Finn wasn’t far behind. “Rey!” He hurried towards the edge of the road. “Poe!”

“We’re okay!” Poe called back, as Rey gave her best friend a thumbs-up. “But we could use a hand down here! Let’s gather up what we can of the sensors,” he said to Rey, as Jess, Finn, and Iolo carefully made their way down into the ditch.

“You’re okay?” Finn asked Rey again, once he’d reached her.

She smiled, readily accepting the hug. “I’m fine, Finn. Don’t worry.”

“Oh, look who’s just arrived.” Iolo’s comment drew their attention to the identical black SUVs pulling up alongside their decidedly less uniform vehicles. The driver’s side window in the lead SUV slid down, revealing a slight, dark-haired man behind the wheel, and a glimpse of Hux’s red hair from the passenger seat.

“You missed a good show, Hugs!” Poe shouted cheerfully, offering a dismissive wave. Any reply the other man might have made wasn’t audible from the distance.

“Hugs?” Rey queried.

“Yeah.” Jess nudged her with a snort. “It’s a whole thing.”

“As in, Hux hates it, and Dameron finds it hilarious?” Rey wondered. Up on the road, Rose was shouting after the now departing SUVs, something about Hux being inconsiderate.

“’s about right.” Poe winked at her from across the truck, and Rey was horrified to find herself blushing. _Again._ Jess smirked.

“That man is the absolute worst!” Rose declared from the edge of the road.

“Which is why we’re going to get moving,” Finn replied, grinning up at her. “And beat him to the next tornado.”

“Right.” Poe clapped Finn on the shoulder. “So, first, can we get my truck out of this ditch?”


	3. F2

Rey stepped out of the convenience store into the early afternoon heat, lemonade in hand. She’d cleaned off the worst of the mud in the tiny bathroom, tidying her hair into some semblance of a bun. From the bored expression on the cashier’s face when they’d arrived, she figured they’d seen plenty of disheveled storm chasers. They’d sought out the nearest gas station once getting back on the road, Poe wanting to check over his truck after its partial-flight in the tornado. On the other side of the parking lot, he and Snap were currently under the hood, making sure nothing critical had been damaged. He’d been oddly quiet on the drive over, perhaps in disappointment over the destruction of the BB unit.

Looking the other way, Rey saw the cluster of black SUVs that had already been there when they’d pulled in, Hux’s team apparently making their own pit stop. Her brow furrowed as she took in the news crew now surrounding the redhead. _What the hell was that about?_ Glancing back to see her own team still occupied near their vehicles, she wandered closer, curious.

“These sensors will be released into the tornado-“ And, sure enough, Hux was giving an interview while standing next to an object that looked an awful lot like BB and holding up an equally familiar sensor. The design wasn’t exactly the same, but it didn’t take an expert to see that it had been modeled after Poe’s invention. And Rey _was_ an expert. 

“…nothing like this has ever been developed before.”

She snorted. And wow, even his voice sounded pompous.

As he spoke, Hux’s eyes found hers in the crowd. When the interview concluded a minute or two later, and the news crew stepped away, he approached.

“You’re with Dameron,” he observed. It wasn’t a question. “I didn’t know he made a habit of bringing his girlfriends into the field.”

“Not his girlfriend,” Rey corrected, making sure to emphasize her title as she went on. “Dr. Rey Niima, NSSL.” 

“Ah, an NSSL meteorologist.” Hux smirked. “Dr. Armitage Hux.”

“Do you think you’ll get that in the air today?” She nodded towards where his team was loading their BB-copy back into one of the SUVs.

“Of course. Jealous?”

Rey laughed lightly. “No.”

“You should be.” He scrutinized her carefully. “We’ve used high end materials, the latest technology. It’s a much better instrument by far than what you all are toting around.”

“Are you trying to recruit me, Dr. Hux?” Rey raised an eyebrow. “It sounds like you’ve got just about everything. Except, from what I understand, an original design.”

Hux’s eyes narrowed. “Dameron telling tales again?”

“Not tales.” That was Finn. Rey hadn’t even heard him come up behind her. “You stole his idea.”

Hux smirked. “Hardly.”

“Afraid to admit it?” Finn fired back. “You First Order types don’t care about honesty, or professional courtesy. Or, you know, science-“

“Everything okay?” Poe had joined them now, too. He nodded to the redhead. “Hugs.”

Hux’s expression looked like he had swallowed a lemon, which Rey found surprisingly satisfying. She was beginning to understand why Poe carried on with the nickname.

“Dameron.” Hux glanced back towards his team. “As delightful as this always is, we’ve got a busy day ahead.”

“Yeah, good luck with that!” Finn called after him as he walked away. “Ugh.”

“Was he bothering you?” Poe asked Rey.

She raised an eyebrow, and Finn stifled a laugh. “I can handle myself, Dameron.”

Poe huffed a laugh, shaking his head. “Yeah, I know.”

“How’s the truck?” She asked, as they headed back across the lot to where their vehicles were parked. Rey could see a couple of their team: Karé coming out of the convenience store, and Iolo leaning against the SUV, eating a bag of chips.

“Seems okay.” Poe shrugged. “A little banged up, but no major damage.”

“Good.” Rey eyed the truck as they approached; it didn’t look too bad, all things considered.

“Let’s get BB-6 loaded in the back.”

Rey chugged the remainder of her lemonade and then followed Poe and Finn to the Doppler van, where Rose was monitoring incoming data on a laptop. Poe paused by the open door, turning to stare at the clouds in the distance, while Rey and Finn climbed inside to where the BB unit was stored. When they emerged, carefully balancing it between them, Poe hadn’t moved. It wasn’t difficult to carry it over to his truck - the instrument wasn’t actually all that heavy, just bulky - and took only a minute or two to secure in the bed. Rey tapped Finn’s shoulder as he tightened the straps, wordlessly communicating that she’d be right back, before going to join Poe.

“What do you think?”

He took a moment to respond. Rey recognized the expression on his face. It was the look of a hunter having spotted its prey, carefully watching to see which way it would go next.

“We gotta go.” Poe turned to meet her eyes, before calling over his shoulder. “We gotta go!”

Just as before, the team was instantly in motion. Rose scrambled out of the Doppler van, sliding the back door shut and getting in behind the wheel instead, as Finn hopped off the back of Poe’s truck and hurried to join her. Jess came out the door of the convenience store, jogging across the tarmac to where Iolo was starting the SUV. Behind them, Snap and Karé were getting into their van. Rey and Poe brushed shoulders in their hurry to get around each other and into his truck.

“Hux is going to follow us,” Poe observed, glancing in the rearview mirror as he turned on the ignition.

Rey looked back to see the First Order team hurriedly piling into their vehicles. “Seriously? Can’t he find his own tornado?”

Poe chuckled, pulling out of the lot. “He’ll never miss a chance to capitalize on someone else’s hard work.” He turned on the radio. “Okay, guys, we should see some activity north of 21.”

“You’ll want to turn on to 87,” Jess called back, the rustling of maps just audible in the background. “That’ll get us there.”

“Copy. Thanks, Jess.” Poe glanced over at Rey. “And this time, I’m not going to get us stuck on a path we can’t get off of.”

She looked up, but his eyes were back on the road. “We needed to get into that field.”

He shook his head. “It was a bad call, turning into that ditch. And that’s on me.”

“You’re not going to get it right one hundred percent of the time,” she objected. “And if we’d stayed on the road, we wouldn’t have been close enough to get BB into the funnel.”

“So it was better to be _so close_ that we lost the unit, and nearly my truck? And put ourselves at risk in the process?”

“Look, I know you’re pissed about BB-5, but this is why we have three more-“

“You think that’s what I’m upset about?” Poe sounded exasperated. “I mean, okay, yes. In part. But we were too close, Rey. And what the hell were you thinking, trying to unload BB with a twister literally on top of us?”

“I was doing what we’re here to do!” She bit back, annoyed. “If we turn tail every time we’re close to a tornado, this will never work!”

“That’s not what I mean, and you know it,” he snapped. “There’s reasonable risk, and unnecessary risk, and back there, it was too dangerous!”

“This _is_ dangerous!” She exclaimed, waving a hand to encompass all that they were doing. Why was he suddenly, now, freaking out about safety? “You can’t tell me you’re not prepared to take a real risk to get BB in the air!”

“But _you_ shouldn’t have to!” He hissed. “And I took us into that field. _I_ put you in that situation.”

“Is that what this is about?” Rey glared at him. “For fuck’s sake, Dameron. If you recall, I told you to do it, just like I _agreed_ to ride with you. I knew what I was getting myself into!”

“Did you?” He snapped back.

She bristled at that. “Yes, actually, I did. Whether you believe it or not, I do know what I’m doing. And I’m not afraid.”

“No.” Poe huffed. “No, you’re not afraid. You’re damned reckless.”

“You know, I hadn’t pegged you as the cautious type-“

“You don’t know the first thing about me-“

“Nor you, about me-“

“Are you two about done?” That was Karé, her mostly-amused voice coming from over the radio.

“Sorry, are we bothering you?” Poe retorted, with an uncharacteristic amount of sarcasm.

“Jeez Dameron, cool it,” Karé said. “I was just wondering if you were planning on giving this tornado a miss?”

“What? Shit!” He cursed, as Rey looked up. Sure enough, there was a tornado coming down in the distance, visible out the driver’s side window. Poe pressed down on the gas.

“Is it on the ground?” Rey asked, straining to better see.

“Take the next left!” Jess shouted.

“What’s on the satellite?” Poe called, making the turn. “We’ve gotta get ahead of it!”

“Twister shifting south.” Finn’s voice reached them. “It’s on the ground, F2, possibly an F3."

“The atmosphere is unstable!” That came from Karé. The road had dipped, lined by trees that partially obscured their view. It was much darker than it had been only minutes before, the afternoon light blocked by heavy cloud cover. “Repeat, unstable! It may not last long!”

“We’re driving due east.” Finn again. “It’s at ten o’clock, heading south, heading this way!”

It was suddenly raining, hard, the water pounding against the windshield.

“We’re getting slammed in here,” Poe shouted, flipping on the wipers. “You guys stay back!”

Rey watched for a second as their team disappeared in the rearview, making sure they’d done as instructed. She wouldn’t want any of the others to be caught in the storm, and she knew Poe didn’t either. They emerged from the trees, approaching a narrow causeway between two halves of a lake. The tornado was over the water to the left, stirring up a powerful churn. 

“Do you think we can get ahead of it?” Rey wondered. The rain was coming at them from all sides, blowing horizontally in the strong winds.

“I hope so. Hang on,” Poe warned her, and then he floored the gas. Rey idly observed that he was not inexperienced in handling a car at high speed, even in dangerous road conditions. So not so cautious, then.

“Look at it,” Rey breathed. They were out on the narrow strip of road now, water on both sides. “I’ve never seen clouds like this.”

Poe didn’t reply, concentrating hard on the road.

“We’re in the core.” The words had barely left her mouth when the twister split in half, two separate tornadoes now moving towards them.

“And now there’s two,” Poe quipped. “And…what the hell?”

They both stared in horrified fascination as a cow sailed by just ahead of them, still mooing as it was carried off by the wind. The tornadoes swirled closer.

“This is not good,” Poe bit out. Ahead of them, the road was barely visible through the rain. “I can’t see the road!”

“We’re gonna get rolled!”

“No, we’re not.” Poe slammed on the brakes. “Hold on!” The twisters were suddenly right upon them and the truck spun in a circle, the tires squealing against the wet road. Rey braced one hand against the roof, her other hand brushing Poe’s as they both gripped the center console. His hand closed around hers, and she squeezed back gratefully, her heart thudding against her ribcage. The truck spun again, dizzyingly, the wind roaring, and then the tornadoes disappeared.

Rey exhaled a shaky breath. Her eyes found Poe’s and, for a moment, they just stared at each other in shock. They were still holding hands.

“Holy shit,” she finally said, letting go of his hand and looking out the window. They were facing the wrong way on the road, back the way they’d come. It wasn’t even raining anymore. “That was incredible.”

“It was amazing,” Poe agreed. “I’ve never seen anything like it.” She met his eyes again, and they both grinned. Then his expression changed to one of worry. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” Rey assured him, trying not to roll her eyes. Were they not just having a shared moment over how _incredible_ that was?

“I just want to make sure,” he pressed. “That was pretty intense. And after I was just saying that I wasn’t going to get us into another tight spot.” He rubbed a hand over his face. “I don’t know, maybe I shouldn’t have you up here with me-“

“Why do you keep assuming I’m so fragile?” Rey snapped, losing her patience. “Is it because I’m younger than you? Because I’m female?”

“No! And I’m not assuming you’re fragile,” Poe insisted, holding his hands up in some kind of surrender. She gave him an unimpressed look. “Okay,” he conceded, after a moment of staring her down. “It’s just, you’re from the UK. Not exactly known for its tornadoes. I just want to make sure you’re really ready for this.”

“Has any part of my behavior today indicated that I’m not?” She couldn’t believe they were having this argument again. “Besides, I did tell you I’d chased storms while doing my PhD.”

“Like this?” Poe challenged. “Or from a distance?”

“Both,” she retorted sharply. “Okay, I maybe haven’t tried to drive right in front of one before, but I’ve been plenty close!”

“This close?” She didn’t reply, because he already knew the answer to that. Not this close. Not while storm chasing, anyway. To be fair, she wasn’t sure he’d ever been this close before either. “Look. Rey.” Poe was clearly trying for conciliatory, which was doing nothing for Rey’s mood. In front of his truck, the rest of the team was pulling up with enthusiastic honks. “If they’re right about this band of storms, this is just the beginning. It’s going to be like nothing _any_ of us has ever seen.”

“I have,” she muttered, so quietly she almost didn’t think he’d heard it.

“Not like this, you haven’t,” he contradicted.

“I’ve seen an F5.” She reached for the door handle, only to be stopped by his voice.

“You’ve seen an F5?” He sounded disbelieving, and Rey couldn’t entirely blame him. “There hasn’t been an F5 in Oklahoma in more than a decade.”

“No.” She opened the door and slid out of the truck, her feet hitting the damp pavement. “There hasn’t.”

“You guys were right in the middle of that!” Iolo called out. The entire team was hurrying up to the truck, all talking at once, and he had to shout to be heard. “What was it like?”

“It was, uh,” Rey smirked. “Windy.”

“Windy,” Snap snorted, as Karé clapped Rey on the shoulder.

“And we saw a cow?” She added. “Sailing by.”

“A cow?” Rose repeated, looking mildly appalled, and Rey shrugged. “No kidding.”

Poe chose that moment to finally emerge from the truck and some of the team drifted over to him, still talking excitedly.

“You good, peanut?” Finn asked, eyeing her carefully, and she smiled reassuringly at him.

“I’m fine, Finn. Honest.” Rey wasn’t sure why everyone was so concerned with her wellbeing all the time. Well, that wasn’t entirely true. Finn was her friend, one of her dearest in the world despite the short time they’d known one another, and he knew better than most her complicated relationship with tornadoes. She still wasn’t sure what Dameron’s problem was.

“So. Dameron.” Jess was sitting on the side of the truck, her feet next to BB-6. The instrument appeared to have survived the tornado encounter unscathed. “I couldn’t help but notice how close we are to Yavin.”

Poe turned to face her, hands settling on his hips. “No.”

“It’s almost dinner time, man,” Iolo chimed in.

“It’s three in the afternoon,” Poe countered.

“So?” Iolo pressed. “Be closer to dinner by the time we get there.”

Poe shook his head. “I am not showing up on Kes’ doorstep with eight people demanding food.”

“Why not?” Karé asked, leaning against the truck next to Jess with a smirk. “He always has plenty. And I’m pretty sure he told us we’re always welcome.”

“Kes is Poe’s dad,” Finn explained to Rey. “And he makes the best ribs in western Oklahoma.”

“In _all_ of Oklahoma,” Rose corrected.

“Radar shows a bit of a break in the storm cells,” Snap chimed in. “We’re not likely to see much activity for a bit.”

“And we’ll need a place to sleep,” Jess added.

“Oh, so now we’re staying overnight, too?” Poe asked, giving her an unimpressed look.

She shrugged, unperturbed. “Better than sleeping in the van. Don’t give me that look, Dameron, your dad _loves_ us.”

They all stared at Poe expectantly. He folded his arms. “Nope, no way. It’s not happening.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I couldn't resist including a nod to the cow scene, maybe the film's most iconic moment!
> 
> Also, if anyone's wondering if Poe gets his way here, the next chapter is titled "Yavin"...


	4. Yavin

Kes Dameron lived on the outskirts of Yavin, in a farmhouse with a big front porch and trees lining the yard. He’d clearly heard them pull up, coming down the porch steps with a broad grin as their four vehicles parked along the edge of the road. For all he’d protested making the stop, Poe’s smile was equally genuine and warm as he hopped out of the truck and embraced his dad. The rest of the team crowded around them, all talking over each other, and Kes greeted each of them with a familiarity Rey wasn’t accustomed to seeing outside of family. Or between family, even.

“And who’s this?” Kes asked, spotting Rey at the back of the group. She hadn’t wanted to intrude on the moment.

“Dad, this is Rey. She’s a postdoc at NSSL.” Poe waved her closer. “Rey, meet Kes.”

The family resemblance was undeniable, although Kes’ hair was closer cropped than his son’s and shot through with grey. The smile was decidedly familiar, however, as he reached for her hand. “Postdoc, huh? Another smart kid. Well, welcome, Rey. It’s great to meet you.”

“You too, Kes,” she shook the offered hand, then laughed in surprise as he pulled her into a hug, Poe mouthing “sorry” over his dad’s shoulder. But Rey didn’t really mind; it was nice to feel so a part of things. “Thank you for having us.”

“And a Brit, too,” he added, eyebrows going up. “We don’t get many Brits in these parts.”

Rey smiled. “I’d imagine not.”

“Well, I guess you’d better all come in.” Kes turned to lead them inside, smiling at Rey conspiratorially. “Something tells me this crew is hungry.”

\------------

Rey stood in front of the mirror, smoothing down her hair where she’d pulled it into a bun. The bedroom around her was quiet, but she could hear the commotion drifting up from downstairs as their lively group made themselves at home. The team was taking turns using Kes’ two showers; it had felt wonderful to get clean again after a day in the dust and mud.

The door creaked behind her, and Rey glanced back to see Rose’s head peek around the edge.

“Oh, good, you’re decent,” Rose grinned, and Rey smiled back, stepping away from the mirror. “Just need to grab clean clothes. My turn for a shower next.”

Rose headed to where her duffel sat in the corner, and Rey turned for the door. “I’m going to go downstairs. Room’s all yours.” Rose waved a cheerful hand over her head, rifling through her belongings with the other.

Rey headed down the hall towards the stairs, only to run right into Poe as he was emerging from the bathroom. She blinked in surprise. He was wearing a towel wrapped around his waist. _Only_ a towel. And a chain around his neck, but she was _not_ about to look closer.

“Dameron, for the love of God!” She couldn’t help but snap, taking a hasty step backwards.

“What?” He asked, the teasing lilt of his voice telling her that he knew _exactly_ what. “I just got out of the shower.”

“I see that,” she retorted, looking away as she edged around him and towards the safety of the stairs. She knew she was blushing again, and why was he still standing in the hallway?!

He laughed, his voice fading slightly as he - hopefully - retreated to a bedroom. She risked a glance and sighed with relief.

“I’ll be down in two!” He called back.

\------------

The rest of the team was in the living room, sprawled on the furniture and deep in a discussion of the tornadoes they’d seen earlier in the day. Rey was inclined to join them - she could talk about storms all day long - but first headed through to the kitchen with a wave to her friends.

Kes looked up as she came in. He was alone in the room, prepping ingredients at the counter. “Rey! Can I get you anything?”

“Oh, no,” she shook her head. “I was actually wondering if you needed any help? It’s so kind of you to feed all of us on short notice.”

He smiled. “I’ll let you in on a secret, Rey. I love to cook.”

“That’s no secret, dad.” That was Poe, in the doorway behind her.

Rey glanced back at him. He was, thankfully, dressed, his dark curls still damp. “That was fast.”

“I’ve got skills.” And he actually _winked_ at her, the absolute bastard.

“Okay, maybe not a secret,” Kes agreed, as Poe joined him at the counter. “But it’s more fun to cook for a crowd, anyway. And these guys are good company-“ He raised an eyebrow at Rey, smirking. “When this son of mine can be bothered to bring them around.”

“We are _busy_ , you know,” Poe huffed, and Kes chuckled. “And it’s not exactly like NSSL is right around the corner.” It was hard to tell from the haphazard route they’d taken, and her Oklahoma geography was still a little fuzzy, but Rey thought they were maybe three hours away at this point.

“Yeah, yeah,” Kes waved a hand. “So what about you, Rey? You came all the way from England for the tornadoes?”

“That’s right.” She leaned against the kitchen island, watching as Poe stepped in to help his dad, the two men moving seamlessly around each other in the kitchen, like they’d done this a hundred times. They probably had, although it wasn’t without some good-natured squabbling. “There really isn’t a better place to study them than NSSL. And I’m actually from Texas, originally, so Oklahoma doesn’t feel so foreign.”

Poe looked over at her, surprise written across his face. “I didn’t know that.”

She nodded. “Yeah, I lived near Amarillo when I was young.”

He looked like he might be about to say something else, but Kes beat him to it, pulling a platter of marinating meat from the fridge. “You do eat meat, right, Rey?”

She laughed. “Oh, I eat anything.”

“That’s what I like to hear,” Kes headed for the backdoor, platter in hand. “You’re welcome back anytime!”

“He might regret that offer,” Rey confessed to Poe with a chuckle. “Because it already smells amazing, and I really can’t cook.”

“Oh, he means it,” Poe countered. “Kes lives for people to feed. So what do you eat at home, then?” He wondered.

“Cheap takeout,” she confessed. “Packaged ramen?”

Poe frowned at her over his shoulder. “Oh, you poor thing.”

“Hey,” she protested. “Don’t knock the ramen.”

He gave her a disbelieving look.

“Can I help?” She inquired, preferring not to delve further into her abysmal eating habits and feeling a bit odd standing there while he and his dad did all of the work.

“Did you not just get through telling me that your cooking ability extends to pouring water over instant noodles?”

“Shut up,” she retorted, and he grinned. “You definitely don’t want me cooking anything, but I’m not bad at chopping things.”

“Sous-chef, I like it.” He held a knife out for her to take. “Come on, Niima.”

\------------

If her mouth had been watering during the preparation, Rey just about keeled over in anticipation when they finally all gathered around the large dining table. There weren’t any of the famed ribs - not enough time for cooking them - but instead skewers of grilled chicken, beef, and vegetables, with potatoes, salad, and homemade bread. The team had not been exaggerating; it was some of the best food Rey had ever eaten, her eyes actually sliding closed with pleasure at the first bite.

“Oh wow.” She opened her eyes again to get another forkful. “This is amazing.”

The others all chimed in with their agreement, and Kes looked delighted.

“Better than ramen?” Poe teased from his place beside her.

“Yes, fine, you win,” Rey acquiesced, with only a little bit of a grumble. There really was no comparison.

She wasn’t alone in demolishing her plate in record time and, as everyone reached for seconds, the stories started.

“You didn’t know this guy back in the day, Rey,” Snap explained, as Poe groaned and covered his face with one hand. Snap waved a hand at the group. “Most of this crew didn’t either. But before he was a scientist, he was just a kid with a penchant for fast cars and chasing storms.”

“Oh, please stop,” Poe begged, but Rey recognized the look on Snap’s face. He was settling in to tell a dramatic tale, no matter what Poe might say about it.

“So this one night, we’re - I dunno - maybe just eighteen? We’re out with friends when we hear a twister’s touched down outside of town. Now, this is like 1979, the warnings were even worse than they are now; you generally didn’t know about it until it was practically on top of you. So we hop in the car and go check it out.”

“Normal reaction,” Finn quipped, with a hint of sarcasm.

“Says the storm chaser,” Jess teased back.

Snap grinned around at the group. Rey was sure everyone else had heard this story before, but they were still hanging on his every word. “It’s out over this field, and we’re driving up a country road just along the side. It was an amazing sight. And then, it shifts track and heads for the road. I say, okay, we’ve gotta turn back. But what does Dameron do?” Rey glanced at Poe. He looked faintly pink. “He floors the gas and outruns the fucking tornado. It clears the road just behind us, _just_ behind us, and then we drive on home.”

“And that’s when you knew he was a friend for life,” Karé joked, as everyone else laughed.

“Or a crazy person,” Iolo offered, and Poe threw a wadded up napkin at him.

“Thanks for that, Snap,” Poe grumbled, although he was laughing too. “And for reminding my dad of the crazy shit we used to get into.”

Rey thought of earlier that day, how he’d tried to get them ahead of the water spout. How she’d suspected it wasn’t the first time he’d done something like that. Crazy shit, indeed, and not only in the past tense.

“Your dad has heard that story three hundred times,” Snap pointed out.

“I’m just glad I didn’t know at the time,” Kes offered. “He just showed up at home like nothing had happened.” His expression sobered. “You all be careful out there, you hear? I know it’s dangerous work, and important work, but you look out for each other.”

With an uncharacteristic seriousness, they all nodded in agreement.

\------------

_“Rey, be brave.”_

_Rey tried to do as her mother said, but it was hard. She thought she might be screaming, but it was impossible to hear anything over the roar of the storm. Her father was under the table now, too, and there wasn’t much space._

_Something heavy hit the table overhead, jarring it. Her father moved from beside them; Rey thought her mother was shouting after him. She was kneeling on the hallway floor, her mother curled over her. There was a blanket over them, and Rey’s eyes were squeezed shut._

_Rey inhaled a lungful of dust and her screams turned to coughs. She buried her face in the blanket. She couldn’t see, she couldn’t move, she thought her mother was still there, but she really couldn’t tell._

_There was another thud overhead and things were falling, falling on top of them. It felt like the table was caving in, or maybe the roof._

_Maybe the entire sky._

Rey’s eyes opened to a quiet room, early morning sunlight filtering in through the windows, and the sound of soft breathing. She listened, trying to even out her own breaths, heart thudding in her chest. She hadn’t dreamed about it in years, not until the past two nights.

A few minutes of laying quietly was enough for her to realize that she wouldn’t sleep again, and so she slipped out of the bed, careful not to wake her sleeping companions. She had shared the guest room bed with Finn and Rose. It was a tight fit for three, but they’d made it work, Rose now unconsciously moving over into Rey’s vacated space.

She donned shorts and a t-shirt, padding out of the room on bare feet. Downstairs, she avoided the living room, where some of the others - Poe, Jess, and Iolo, she thought - were undoubtedly still asleep, and headed instead for the front porch. She sat on the top step in the not-yet-too-hot morning air and watched the neighborhood start to come to life.

Rey wasn’t sure how long she’d been out there when Poe’s voice startled her from her thoughts.

“Mind if I join you?” He stood in the doorway, two mugs in hand. “I brought coffee.”

“Of course not.” She waved him over.

He sat down beside her, handing over one of the mugs. “I’m just realizing, you drink mostly tea, don’t you? I can get you that instead-“

“Coffee’s fine,” she assured him, surprised that he’d even noticed her beverage preferences. “Thank you. Is anyone else up?”

“My dad, probably.” Poe glanced up towards the second floor. “But I haven’t seen him yet. No one else.” His gaze shifted to meet hers. “You’re up early.”

“Yeah.” Rey shrugged. “Woke up and couldn’t get back to sleep.”

They sat for a moment, sipping their coffee in silence.

“I like the story about you racing the tornado,” she offered then.

Poe huffed a laugh. “Snap never misses an opportunity to pull that one out. What’re friends for.”

“And you were calling me reckless?”

He smiled at her, genuine. “Well, takes one to know one.”

And there it was again, that camaraderie she occasionally felt between them. More so lately. She shook her head with a laugh. “Fair enough. I didn’t realize you and Snap had known each other since you were kids.”

“Since seventh grade,” Poe shared. “He’s one of my oldest friends. We’ve been chasing storms together forever, but he came over to work at NSSL when I started developing the BB project.”

“It’s great to be able to work with friends.” Truthfully, Rey didn’t really know what that was like, apart from Finn. She’d generally always gotten along with her colleagues, but had never had very many close friends. “Your dad seems like a lovely guy.”

“He is.” Poe’s expression was fond. “My mom died when I was young, so it’s been just the two of us for a long time.”

“Oh, I’m sorry.” Rey glanced over at him. “I hadn’t realized.”

“Thanks. It was a long time ago, now.” He took another sip of coffee. “And I didn’t realize you were from Texas.”

She had a feeling that was going to come up again. “To be fair, you never asked where I grew up,” she retorted.

“Well, _to be fair_ ,” he mimicked. “You _do_ have a British accent. But I may have made some assumptions based on that fact, such as the extent of your experience with tornadoes.” He gave her a rueful grin. “Sorry.”

Rey shrugged. “It’s okay. I could’ve set you straight sooner. I just don’t talk about my childhood much.”

“That’s where you saw the F5, isn’t it? In Texas?” Poe must’ve seen the shadow that crossed her face, for he immediately backpedaled. “I’m sorry, Rey, it’s none of my business. You just said you don’t like to talk about it.”

Rey stared into her cup of coffee for a moment, and Poe started to get to his feet. “I was four,” she said quietly. He froze mid-motion, and then sat back down. “It was one of the biggest storms the state had ever seen. 1973.” She swirled the coffee in her cup, not meeting Poe’s eyes. “My parents didn’t have much, the house we were renting didn’t have a storm shelter. There wasn’t any warning and, when it hit, we took shelter under our kitchen table in the hallway.” She swallowed hard. “My parents both died when the house collapsed. My mom was on top of me. She saved my life.”

“Rey, I’m so sorry,” Poe whispered. She could hear the pain in his voice. She still didn’t meet his eyes, didn’t want to see the pity she knew she’d find there.  


“People tell me I can’t possibly remember.” She huffed a dry laugh. “But I do. I remember. I remember being under the table. I remember my mom telling me to be brave, the last thing she ever said to me. And I remember the _noise_.”

“And now you’ve dedicated your life to tornado research.”

Rey finally looked up. Poe’s expression wasn’t exactly what she’d imagined. It wasn’t pity. It was sympathy, for sure, and understanding, and _knowing_. “I lived in foster care for a few years, and then I was sent to live with my grandfather in England when I was nine.” She wasn’t even sure why she was telling Poe all of this, but found she didn’t want to stop. “He wasn’t an easy man, my grandfather, but the one thing he did for me was make sure I got an education. So I decided to use it.”

He shook his head wryly. “You must think I’m an idiot, with all that stuff about racing tornadoes. After what you went through, and I was just chasing storms for a thrill.”

“I don’t.” She shook her head. “I meant what I said, I like that story. I spent so much of my childhood afraid. I don’t want to be afraid. And I don’t want it to happen to anyone else. There have been too many already, too many people who didn’t get enough warning. I want to stop it.”

To Rey’s utter surprise, Poe slid an arm around her shoulders, squeezing gently, and kissed the side of her head. “And we will.”


	5. F3

The rest of the team was awake by the time Poe and Rey returned inside, a commotion in the kitchen as everyone jostled for coffee and breakfast. Someone had turned on the television in the living room, where Armitage Hux was giving yet another interview, looking far too stiff and polished for first thing on a Saturday morning. Rey wondered if he was overheating in all that black.

“Ugh, why are we watching this?” Jess groaned as, nevertheless, everyone gathered around the TV.

“It’s a thrill, I must admit,” Hux was saying. “Doing battle against nature.”

“He’s certainly doing battle with something,” Iolo quipped. 

“That man wouldn’t know a thrill if it whacked him over the head,” Karé added.

On TV, Hux was still talking. “We’ll soon be able to predict tornadoes, all thanks to my new invention-“

The team booed nearly in unison, Finn reaching forward to shut off the TV. “I don’t know about anyone else,” he said. “But I can’t stand another minute of _that_.”

They turned their attention back to business, checking the latest weather data and packing up their overnight bags. Rey was just coming down the stairs after a final sweep for anyone’s stray belongings when she heard Rose’s shout.

“We’ve got one!”

Rey jogged the rest of the way down the stairs, skidding to a stop behind where Rose sat in the kitchen listening to one of their portable radios. Finn arrived at the same moment, and Rose stood up so quickly she nearly ran into them both.

“A mile outside Pasaana, it’s only just developed.”

Rey glanced back to find everyone else crowded in the doorway to the living room. Karé was on the phone.

“Karé, what does NSSL say?” Snap asked.

“Okay,” she said into the receiver, before lowering the phone. “Looks to be a big one.”

“Okay then,” Poe said from where he stood at the back of the group, echoing Karé. “Let’s go get it.”

The group moved quickly through the house, grabbing laptops and bags as they hurried out onto the porch and across the grass to their vehicles.

“Do where know where Hux is?” Poe shouted, tossing a couple of duffel bags into the back of Jess and Iolo’s SUV.

“He gave that interview from Arkanis,” Snap commented. “Closer than we are, but not by much.”

Poe slammed the trunk shut. “Jess, tell me we can beat him!”

“I’ll get us there,” she promised, already getting into the passenger seat.

“Dad, sorry to leave in a hurry,” Poe said to Kes, as they quickly embraced. Just past them, Finn and Rose were stowing some equipment in their van.

Kes smiled. “Don’t apologize, get going! It’s always great to see you.”

“It was so nice to meet you!” Rey shouted, waving as she ran towards Poe’s truck.

“You too, Rey!” Kes shouted back. “Come visit anytime!”

And then they were in the truck, Poe starting it up, and the four vehicles were pulling away from the curb, Kes waving behind them.

“Okay, Jess, you’re up!” Poe called out.

“Stay straight on this road through downtown Yavin, then take the left to 11 east. Looks like it’s, uh, right before the high school-“

“Yeah, I know where the turn is,” Poe retorted. “Home town, remember?”

“I dunno, you might have forgotten in the many, _many_ , years since you graduated,” Jess teased. Poe rolled his eyes at Rey, who shook her head with a grin.

She got the fly-by view of Yavin as they sailed through downtown. It wasn’t big, with a handful of stores and cafes, mostly open for Saturday business. A fire station, a car wash, and there was the high school, Poe hanging the left just before it. They were quickly in more rural territory, the houses thinning to what resembled Kes’ own neighborhood, then to larger farms, then open fields. 

“Okay, I’ve got us a shortcut,” Jess’ voice came over the radio. “Take the next right, just past that farm up ahead.”

Poe made the turn. It was a dirt road, filled with bumps and potholes, winding through some dense bushes. It was impossible to see what was up ahead. “Jess, where is this taking us?”

“Just stay on here, it should be-“

They emerged from the bushes onto a narrow grassy road that appeared to be right through the center of a cornfield. Probably, in the normal course of things, intended for a tractor.

“We’re in the middle of a field!” Rey exclaimed, perhaps stating the obvious.

“I know that!” Jess affirmed. “We’re going to stay on this until we reach the far side.” Not that they exactly had a choice, Rey mused, other than taking their chances with somebody’s corn crops.

“Okay, and then what?” Poe shouted.

“Then what, what?”

“Then what, after the end of the field?”

“Oh!” Jess realized. “The highway!”

Rey was rapidly realizing that it was impossible to see where the end of the field was, as the corn was tall and overhanging the path in front of them. A tractor would be taller, able to see over the top. In Poe’s truck, all she could see was corn in all directions. “We can’t see the road. Jess, we can’t see the road!”

“Okay,” she shouted back. “It should be there! Should be coming right-”

They emerged out of the cornfield onto a two-lane road, just narrowly missing Hux’s motorcade as it swept by. Poe swerved hard, cursing, managing to get them into the right lane. The driver of the nearest black SUV leaned on his horn, and Poe waved a dismissive hand.

The radio crackled. “What is the matter with you?” Hux’s voice came out of the receiver. “Can you not use the road like a civilized person?”

“Just keeping you on your toes, Hugs,” Poe responded cheerfully. 

“Dameron, you’re insane,” Hux sniffed.

In lieu of a response, Poe winked at Rey, who smiled back. At that moment, Jess and Iolo’s SUV emerged from the bushes behind them.

“Wooo!” Iolo shouted, pulling onto the road. Rey could hear Jess laughing.

Poe slowed down, dropping back behind Hux’s team and glancing in the rearview to ensure all of their own vehicles made it on to the road without incident.

“Everybody good?”

“We’re good!” Rose called back.

“Yep,” Snap agreed. “Although maybe we can stick to the road from now on, Jess?”

“I don’t know,” Iolo argued. “I thought that was kind of fun.”

The team continued to banter as they drove down the highway, just trailing Hux’s SUVs. Rey was tracking the sky for signs of the storm, and she narrowed in on the gathering clouds out the driver’s side window, the sky growing darker by the minute. Ever attentive, Poe followed her gaze.

“We should take the next turn,” Rey said, her eyes never leaving the building storm.

“Yeah,” Poe scanned the road ahead, looking for an opportunity. “I think you’re right.”

It came a minute later, Poe turning left onto a smaller road. Their team followed suit, while Hux’s SUVs stayed straight on the road they’d just left. 

“Okay, we’ve got reports of a touchdown!” Finn called over the radio.

“We’re getting it, too,” Snap agreed. “Tornado is on the ground.”

“Where?” Rey asked, scanning the horizon for any sign. Plenty of dark clouds, but no funnels in sight.

“It’s, uh—“ Finn again, undoubtedly scanning his laptop for the latest information. “Coming down 38!”

“We’re on 38!” Poe shouted back.

“Does anyone see it?” Iolo asked.

“No, nothing!” Rose answered. “Where is it?!”

“Come on, come on,” Rey pleaded, leaning forward to look out the dash and willing the tornado to appear. 

“It’s coming from the northwest!” Snap announced. “Going about 35 miles an hour.”

“It’s coming right at us,” Poe realized.

“I can’t see it,” Rey admitted.

“Snap, we don’t have a visual,” Poe shouted. “Repeat, we do not have a visual!”

There was a long pause where they both stared at the sky. Rey imagined the rest of the team was doing the same.

“Okay, I see it!” Finn called. “It’s the best motion I’ve ever seen. The base looks to be half a mile wide!”

Rey still couldn’t see a thing. The road was curvy and lined with trees, and their vehicles were spread out at some distance. Finn and Rose must have a better view from their vantage point. 

“It should be coming over that hill in just a few minutes!” Jess added.

“Why don’t we see it yet?” Rey wondered, eyes fixed on the hill up ahead.

“It’s there,” Poe said with certainty.

“So are we doing this?” She asked. He glanced her way. “It’s your call.”

Poe nodded. “We’re doing this.” A chorus of cheers went up over the radio, followed by further commotion as the team pulled over to get the cameras and equipment for reading BB’s sensors set up. “You’re going to have to get BB ready.” Something thunked against the windshield, and he smirked. “In the hail.”

“I know.” Rey was already unbuckling her seatbelt.

“Karé, do we have upflow?” Poe called. Without it, the sensors wouldn’t fly. Then, to Rey: “You remember the sequence?”

“Checking it now, one second!” Kare replied, as Rey knelt on the passenger seat, opening the back window to the truck bed.

“Poe.” She reached over to squeeze his shoulder, his eyes flicking to her and then back to the road. “I’ve got this.”

He nodded. “Be careful out there.”

Rey reached for her rain jacket, slinging it over her shoulders before easing herself out the back window. It was hailing steadily, the falling pieces bouncing off of her arms, shoulders and head as she crouched by BB-6. She gritted her teeth. There were five steps to boot up the instrument. She ran them over in her head as she reached for the first switch.

“Are you okay?” Poe shouted, as she flicked it on. Glancing towards the front of the truck, she was treated to a view of the tornado emerging, now on the road in front of them, still some distance ahead. She allowed herself one second to appreciate the sight before turning her attention to the next switch.

“I’m okay!” She shouted back, then instinctively ducked as a tree branch sailed overhead.

“Debris!” Poe called out. Rey wasn’t sure if he was alerting her or their team; she was definitely already aware. The hail was still falling and the wind picking up as she moved quickly through the start up sequence, grumbling an “ow” when a - fortunately lightweight - bundle of leaves and twigs smacked into the side of her head. The next button turned on BB-6’s sirens, the lights flashing and alarm blaring as they drove closer to the storm.

“I’m almost there!” She called to Poe. She adjusted a dial, then flipped one final switch. “Okay, we’re ready- whoa, shit!” She tacked on, ducking again as an actual boat - a full-size boat - flew over the truck.

“Shit, you okay?” Poe shouted. “This is gonna have to be close enough!”

That was all the warning Rey got before he hit the brakes, and she just barely managed to brace herself against the cab as the truck skidded to a stop. Regaining her balance, she immediately reached for the straps securing BB-6 to the bed, as Poe scrambled out of the truck and ran to open the tailgate.

“We good?” He called, shouting to be heard over the wind. Around them, debris was still flying by, and the storm roaring. Rey’s hair was coming undone from where she’d pulled it back, blowing around her face.

“Yeah!” Rey shouted back. “Let’s get it down on the road!”

There was an explosion nearby, and they both flinched, looking up to see the fire at the base of the tornado.

“Okay, we have to hurry,” Poe stated, reaching in to help undo the final strap.

The explosion had triggered something in the power lines overhead, each one sparking in succession, coming ever nearer.

“Hurry, hurry!” She echoed, the first stirrings of panic in her chest, desperately trying to push BB towards Poe.

“Rey.” Poe was staring upwards, directly overhead. “Rey, MOVE!”

Rey didn’t question it. She planted a hand on the side of the truck and vaulted over it, Poe immediately pulling her further away by her jacket. Behind her, a telephone pole crashed into the truck bed where she’d only just been standing, knocking BB to the ground.

“Shit,” Poe cursed as the sensors scattered everywhere.

“Look out!” Rey shouted, but - suddenly - there was nothing to look out for. The tornado disappeared, vanishing up into the dark clouds. “Wait, what?”

Poe’s attention was pulled from the damaged BB, as he craned his neck to look up at the sky. “Okay, where’d it go?”

“The radio!” Rey hurried towards the front of the truck, hearing the crackling of static, but unable to hear what the team was saying from the distance.

“Poe, Rey, I think it’s over!” Snap’s voice came through, partially drowned out by a commotion of voices, plus a sudden rumble of thunder. “It was stable, and now it’s gone.”

Rey looked back at Poe, standing just behind her. He was staring at the sky. There was a roar overhead, different from the thunder a moment before, and his eyes snapped back down to hers. “Not gone.”

The hair stood up on the back of her neck. She knew he was right. “You think it’s backbuilding?”

Poe leaned past her into the truck. “Snap, it’s backbuilding! We need you to track it!”

“We’re on it, Poe.” It was Rose now. “But we don’t have a clear picture. You’re too close, you need to get out of there! Copy?”

Rey, who had turned back to face the radio, glanced at Poe, but he wasn’t there. He was crouched at the back of the truck by BB, trying to gather up the sensors.

She ran over to him. “Poe, we have to go!”

He looked up at her like she was nuts. “We can still use these!”

“Right now we need to get out of here!” She insisted. “It’s gonna come back!”

“The team’ll tell us-“ he started, but Rey was done.

“There won’t be enough time!” She shouted, hauling him to his feet by his collar. Poe looked a little surprised by her strength, but thankfully didn’t resist as she forcibly pushed him towards his truck. “It could drop right on us! Get in the truck-“

He held up his hands placatingly. “Rey, it’s fine-“

“Get in the truck!” She shouted, and he did. She followed him in, ending up on the driver’s side. The keys were still in the ignition, and she started it up immediately, just as the tornado touched down once again on the road, distinctly closer to them than it had been before. Rey threw the truck into reverse and hit the gas, cringing internally as she bumped BB out of the way and crunched over the sensors.

“Look, it’s over anyway,” Poe said, sounding unusually bitter, waving a hand towards the twister that was, in fact, already dissipating, as quickly as it had come. Rey stopped the truck, and he immediately hopped out on the passenger side, stalking back towards the remnants of BB. It began to rain.

Rey turned off the truck and followed, not bothering with the rain jacket this time. “What are you doing?”

“Did you really have to run over them?” He snapped, waving a hand towards the ground. Poe wasn’t wearing a jacket either, and they were both getting soaked.

Rey bristled. “Excuse me if I was more concerned about our safety than salvaging the sensors,” she fired back.

“The storm barely stuck around!” Poe retrieved a crushed sensor off the ground, glared at it, and then chucked it back at the road. “And it didn’t ‘drop right on us’.” He parroted her words with sarcasm.

“If it had, we’d be dead!” Rey snapped. “But it could have, and you know that. What the hell is the matter with you?”

“Didn’t you say earlier,” Poe spun to face her. “That we couldn’t do this without risk? We could’ve salvaged that unit, might’ve even had another shot if the twister had lasted. But no.”

“Don’t you even start.” Rey stalked over to him, losing her temper. “You knew we’d never get it on the first, or even second, try. That’s why you built four of them!”

“And now we only have two left!” He shouted back.

“And it was _you_ that hauled _me_ out of the way yesterday in that first tornado-“

“That was different-“

“And now you’re yelling at me for doing the same thing? If you _think_ I’m going to let you be an idiot and risk your life-“

“That’s not your decision to make-”

“Oh, but it’s yours about me, is it-”

“I have a lot more experience-“

“Oh, that bullshit again-“

“Would you let me finish a sentence-“

“I don’t know, are you going to do me the same courtesy-“

They were nose to nose now, full-on yelling at each other. In the rain, in the middle of the road. It was oddly cathartic. And very surprising, when the minimal space between them disappeared and, instead of yelling at Poe, Rey was kissing him.

It was a bit sloppy and uncoordinated, certainly not her best effort, but she couldn’t ever remember being quite so thrilled by a simple kiss. Until her brain caught up to what was happening, and she bounced backwards. Poe looked as shocked as she felt.

“I’m so sorry-“ she blurted.

“No, that’s-“ he tried.

“-should never have-“

“-not your fault-“

They were talking over each other again, but this time in the quick, stumbling way of an awkward encounter. Poe was tinged pink, and Rey’s face felt like it was on fire.

“We should, uh-“

“-get back-“

“-sure, yep-“

And they walked back to the truck, Poe returning to the driver’s side. Not quite making eye contact, they headed back to join the team.


	6. F4

“Can we get eight coffees, please?” Rey requested. As the woman behind the counter went to fill the order, she glanced at Finn, beside her. He was leaning back against the counter, staring at the drive-in movie screen across the way. Rey followed his gaze; she didn’t recognize the movie playing.

It was 9 PM, and the team had called it quits for the day. They’d spent the afternoon tracking one storm after another, but none had converged into a tornado since the one that morning. When she and Poe had…hm. Rey pushed the thought away. They’d found this place - a drive-in theater with an attached motel - and decided it was a good spot to spend the night. They’d rented a couple of rooms between them, taking turns showering and sleeping, while the others holed up in the vehicles to watch the radar. The snack bar she and Finn stood in front of was the only real food option, selling coffee, hot dogs, ice cream, and the like to the movie-goers.

The woman behind the counter set down the coffees, in two trays, and Rey handed over a few dollar bills. Coffee was cheap in rural Oklahoma.

Finn took one of the trays. “I’ll take these to the vans, if you want to take those to the motel?” He suggested. The motel. Where Snap and Karé were currently in one room, and… Poe was in the other. Finn frowned, when she didn’t immediately respond “You okay, peanut?”

Rey shook it off. “Yeah, yeah, fine. Just tired.” She offered Finn a smile. “And sure, I’ve got the motel.”

He squeezed her shoulder, and they headed their separate ways. It probably wasn’t a bad idea to talk to Poe anyway, Rey reasoned, as she crossed the parking lot to the two-story building. Since re-joining the team after the tornado that morning, they’d been professional and courteous, but not exactly friendly. Gone was the camaraderie that had begun to develop, and they didn’t even bicker like usual. It was just… _awkward_. And no wonder. What had she been _thinking_ , kissing him?! This was Poe, they didn’t even really get along! And she was practically working for him, if not exactly. She was here, on this trip, because he’d asked her to be. Great way to blow a professional opportunity, Niima, she chastised herself. If their colleagues and friends had noticed a change in their behavior, they hadn’t commented; perhaps they chalked it up to stress from the morning’s close call, or disappointment about losing another BB unit. Either way, Rey thought she better clear the air.

She went to Snap and Karé’s room first, delivering the eagerly welcomed coffee, before heading further along the narrow corridor. They were on the second floor, and Rey took a moment to appreciate the view - drive-in theater playing the first of the evening’s double-feature, the crowd gathered in their cars, the team’s own vehicles parked near a warehouse that housed an auto repair shop, the dark cornfields beyond - before steeling her nerves and knocking on the door.

It took a moment to open. Poe looked tired and a little surprised.

“Sorry to bother you,” Rey said. She held up the coffee tray, two left. “I just thought you might want a coffee? Finn and I got some for the team.”

“Oh.” Poe smiled. “Yeah, that’d be great, thanks.”

He took the offered beverage, and Rey started to step back. Then she paused. “Poe.” His eyes lifted from the coffee in his hand to meet hers. “I’m so sorry about earlier.” She felt her cheeks heat. She couldn’t quite look him in the eye. “I know I made you uncomfortable, and I didn’t mean to.”

“What? Rey, no, that’s not-“

“I know it was inappropriate,” she plowed on, not really hearing him. “I wasn’t thinking clearly, and I should never have-“

“Rey. Can you look at me please?”

She met his eyes, a little terrified at what she might find. To her surprise, they held mostly concern, mixed with - bewilderingly - a tiny bit of amusement.

“Here.” He stepped back, away from the door. His tone was gentle and surprisingly reassuring. “Come in. Just to talk.”

She felt a bizarre flare of thrill mixed with panic, but reasoned this was probably not the best conversation to have in a motel hallway anyway. She stepped over the threshold, pushing the door shut behind her. The room was simply decorated, but nicer then she’d expected.

Poe was still looking at her. “You don’t have anything to apologize for.”

“Poe, I kissed you!” Well, there it was.

“You seem to be under the impression that I’m upset about that.”

Wait. He wasn’t?

“We work together!” Rey pointed out. “I basically work _for_ you, in fact.”

“You’re working on my project,” he corrected. “But you’re not my employee.”

“It’s still inappropriate,” she argued. “We’re basically on a business trip-“ The oddity of that statement struck her as amusing, and she huffed a laugh. Poe chuckled too. “You know what I mean.”

“Look, Rey, I don’t regret what happened.”

She blinked at him. “You don’t?”

He smiled. “Not even a little bit. If you do, then that’s fine, and I won’t mention it again.” He ran a hand through his hair. “But I don’t. Regret it.”

“But.” Rey was thoroughly confused. “You looked so surprised. And then you’ve barely spoken to me all day!”

“Well, I _was_ surprised.” He admitted. “But not because I wasn’t interested. And I was trying to give you space because I thought you were uncomfortable. I thought _you_ regretted it.”

Rey was floored. She’d spent the whole day beating herself up, thinking she’d messed up everything by kissing him. But he’d wanted it. Wanted _her._

“Do you?”

“What?” She came back to the moment, Poe’s brown eyes peering intently into hers.

“Regret it.”

Rey’s throat was dry. _You work together!_ A little voice screamed in the back of her head. _This is not a good idea!_ She shook her head.

“Good.” He was smiling again, as he took her coffee out of her hands, setting both cups down on the table. “Then I’m going to kiss you the way I should’ve kissed you this morning.” He stepped closer, running his hands up her bare arms to her shoulders. He was moving incredibly slowly, and Rey realized that he was giving her a chance to back out, to tell him to stop.

She didn’t want him to stop.

Poe cupped her cheeks in his warm hands and brought his mouth to hers. If their earlier kiss had thrilled her, this was a million times better. Where they’d before almost immediately bounced apart, now they pressed closer, until there was no space left between them. His lips were soft and sure, and she parted her own to give him better access. When they pulled back for air a few moments later, her hands were on his chest, and Poe’s lips were swollen, his pupils blown wide. Rey had never before appreciated quite how attractive he was.

“Okay?” He whispered.

She nodded. “More than.”

He smiled and dipped his head to press another kiss to her lips, before resting his forehead against hers. Rey met his eyes and smiled, feeling her cheeks pinking. The voice in her head was still yelling about unprofessional behavior and why-was-she-kissing-someone-she-only-ever-argued-with, but she wasn’t particularly inclined to listen to it. Not when Poe was right there in front of her, his dark eyes staring intently into hers, his breath tickling her face, his fingers brushing against the fabric of her shorts where they’d settled on her hips.

“Finn might wonder where I’ve gone,” she pointed out.

Poe chuckled, the corners of his mouth turning up. “He might.” He glanced towards the bathroom. “Or maybe he’ll think you were tempted by the prospect of a shower.”

“It _is_ tempting,” Rey conceded.

“You’re welcome to it,” Poe offered. “If you want.”

“Mm.” Neither one of them moved. Until she surged forward to kiss him again, Poe meeting her halfway.

This one almost instantly grew more heated, with first a tangle of tongues, and then limbs, as they tumbled on to the bed. Poe’s hands roamed up under her shirt, and Rey’s were in his hair - as soft as she’d imagined, _not_ that she’d been thinking about it. His weight was warm and solid on top of her, as his lips trailed over her cheek and down her neck to her collarbone. She arched into his touch, pulling his shirt up higher, and his lips left her skin long enough for her to tug it off over his head. They were kissing again as she struggled up into a sitting position, Poe shifting to the side, so that her own shirt could follow suit. There was a soft thump as the clothing hit the carpet.

She pulled him back down on top of her, running one hand over the contours of his back and relishing the warmth of his skin against hers. Her other hand she lifted to his cheek. He hovered over her, eyes sparkling in the dim light.

“Just to talk?” She parroted his earlier words, teasing.

Poe leaned into her palm, smiling a bit bashfully. “Well, that was my intention, but this seemed like more fun.”

Rey laughed, feeling light. “Agreed.”

“Unless this is too fast?” He wondered, brow furrowing. “We can slow down-“

“Not too fast.” She brushed her thumb over his lips, while her other hand wandered down to his waistband. “Don’t worry.”

She tugged on his belt, not yet undoing it, and his eyes fluttered shut, before opening and refocusing on hers. “You’re sure?”

Rey surged up to plant a kiss on his lips. “I am _so_ sure.”

\------------

The clock read eleven-thirty in bold, bright letters, and the curtains fluttered lightly in the breeze coming through the open window. Rey lay on her side on the bed, her head pillowed on Poe’s chest, their legs tangled together. Their clothes were long gone, their only cover a light sheet. The night was warm. They’d taken a quick shower after their coupling, rinsing off the day’s dust and dirt, before crawling back into the bed. Rey was drifting, not quite asleep, but quiet and content. From his breathing, she didn’t think Poe was asleep either.

She craned her neck to peer up at him. She was right. He wasn’t asleep, and he was looking right back at her. Rey smiled. “Hi.”

His smile matched her own, as he ran a hand through her loose hair. “Hi.”

“I thought I might sleep, but I haven’t really,” she confessed.

“There’s still time.”

“Someone else might want to use the room soon,” she pointed out. As far as she knew, some of the team were still out in their vans.

“And we should probably be dressed when that happens?” He joked, although he wasn’t wrong. They probably ought to see about changing the sheets, too, Rey thought.

“Mmhm.” Was what she said instead. Her eyes were drawn to the chain around Poe’s neck, the same one she’d tried not to notice when she’d seen him shirtless at Kes’ house the previous day. The chain held a ring, which rested against his chest.

Poe noticed her attention. “It was my mom’s,” he explained. “She gave it to me before she died.”

Rey gently brushed a finger over the metal. “It’s beautiful.”

His hand came up to cover her own. “Thanks.” He spoke again after a quiet moment. “Do you think we’ll have better luck tomorrow? With BB?”

Rey entwined their fingers. “I hope so. I’m sorry about before, with the sensors. I was just trying to keep us safe.”

“I know.” He kissed the top of her head. “I was out of line. If it had been you trying to retrieve the sensors with a twister about to drop, I would’ve done the exact same thing you did.”

“You admitting I was right, Poe Dameron?”

The hand that had been in her hair moved to poke her in the side, and she retaliated in kind. “Yes, happy?” He huffed, although when she glanced back up at him, he was smiling. “And I’m sorry, too.”

She sat up enough to kiss his cheek, humming in pleasure when he turned his head to capture her lips next.

“You know today was the first time you’ve ever called me Poe?” He asked, when she’d curled up against his shoulder again. “In the truck, just before you went out to boot up BB.”

“Really?” Rey took a moment to think about it. It clearly made a difference to him, if he’d noticed. She usually called him Dameron when she was either teasing him or irritated with him, which was… a lot. “I guess you’re right. Poe.”

She got a squeeze and another kiss for her trouble. Yep, it definitely made a difference to him. If she was honest, Rey was a little surprised by the rapid development of their emotional connection, although it wasn’t unwelcome. Somewhat less surprising was the sudden acceleration of their physical relationship; after all, they _were_ both irrevocably impulsive.

“You know, I was thinking earlier, about the way the sensors scattered on the road today.” She started. His fingers were running through her hair again, which was definitely distracting, but this was important, and she’d meant to tell him earlier. “I’m wondering if the funnel will actually carry them like we thought.”

“You think they’re too light?” He wondered. Rey propped herself up on an elbow in order to see his face. His brow was furrowed in thought. “Maybe the whole thing is too light.”

She opened her mouth to reply as the room lit up in a flash of lightning. The curtains fluttered again, a bit more forcefully than before. Rey sat up fully, and Poe did as well, both looking towards the window. She could hear the wind whistling. Poe reached for the TV remote. “I think we should get dressed.”

Fully awake now, they both got out of bed, Rey pulling on her shorts and t-shirt as Poe flicked on the TV and reached for his own clothes.

_“-large storm approaching the area-“_ The local weatherman was reporting. “ _Tornado warnings are in effect for the entire county-“_

The weatherman vanished almost as quickly as he’d appeared, replaced by static. _Not a good sign._ Rey glanced at Poe. He shut the TV off and went to the window, looking out at the sky. She sat down on the bed and pulled her sneakers on.

“It’s close, isn’t it?” She said quietly, going to stand behind him. It was hard to see much in the darkness.

He turned, reaching for her hand. “We should go get the others.”

Rey heard the distinctive low rumble as they stepped out on to the landing, the wind picking up with startling speed. The lightning bolts were visible on this side of the building, sizzling down through the sky. Snap and Karé were just emerging from the other room, looking equally alert and tense.

“Let’s go-“ Poe started to say to them, but was interrupted by a shout.

“POE! YOU GUYS!” Jess was running towards the motel, full-tilt, Finn hot on her heels. “IT’S HEADING RIGHT FOR US!”

“Look,” Rey said, staring out into the dark. Beyond the drive-in screen, over the cornfields, she could see it, lit up by the intermittent flashes of lightning. An enormous rotating cloud of dust and debris, drawing rapidly nearer. _Too rapidly. Too near. Not enough warning. Not enough time._

“Shit!” Poe grabbed her hand, pulling her towards the stairs. “Come on!”

They thundered down the stairs, Snap and Karé right behind them. The tornado sirens went off, blaring overhead as their group met Jess and Finn halfway across the parking lot.

“This way!” Finn shouted, turning without slowing down to lead them back towards the warehouse. 

“Get everyone underground!” Poe shouted back. “Rey! Where are you-“

For she was sprinting in another direction, towards the snack bar, its employees seemingly frozen inside. She smacked her palm against the glass. “Get out!” She shouted, hoping to startle them into action. “Get underground, come on!”

They scrambled to get out the door, heading for a nearby building that most of the movie-goers seemed to be running for. Hopefully it had a basement. She turned around, nearly running into Poe, who had apparently come after her. _Of course he did_.

“Come on!” He shouted to be heard over the wind, grabbing for her hand again as they ran for the warehouse. She risked a glance at the approaching tornado, heart thudding in her chest at the sight of it tearing through the movie screen, reaching the first row of cars parked in front and flipping them like Lego bricks.

“Hurry!” Snap beckoned them from inside the warehouse, he and the others starting to push the large bay doors closed. Rey was relieved to see the rest of the team just behind him, including Rose and Iolo, whom she hadn’t seen since earlier that night. Poe all but shoved her through the rapidly narrowing space, coming in last. They both immediately turned to help push the heavy doors the rest of the way closed. Everyone was streaming down the steps to a lower, sub-floor, level, intended for the mechanics’ use while working on the cars mounted above. There weren’t any cars mounted above at the moment, thankfully, although there was one truck parked on the upper level. There were a number of other people taking shelter there; with their team, perhaps twenty in all.

Rey reached the bottom of the steps, finding a place to shelter with her back against the concrete wall. She’d been there for only a beat when the glass blew out of the windows overhead, and the group ducked as one, shielding their heads. Rey was wedged between Poe and Finn, angling her body away from the storm and further into the wall. Her head was pressed into Finn’s side, and Poe had ended up partially over her. She didn’t miss that he was clearly shielding her with his own body.

The storm roared overhead at a deafening volume that Rey hadn’t heard since age four, except in her dreams. The roof of the warehouse rattled, large pieces of it pulling up and off, sailing away in the wind. Debris rained down, bits of wood, metal, and who knew what else showering over them. Someone shrieked as one end of a long strip of roof landed mere feet away, the other end wobbling precariously in the high wind. Rose immediately sprang to her feet, rushing to catch it before it fell on top of the assembled group. Finn and Jess ran to help, the three lowering it safely down to the floor. They’d no sooner turned to retake shelter against the wall when a piece of what looked like tire rubber came flying out of nowhere and collided with the side of Rose’s head, sending her reeling backwards.

“Rose!” Finn shouted, scrambling to catch her. She blinked, a little dazed. Rey had a mind to go over to check on her as well, but she’d no sooner had the thought than a car came flying through the side of the warehouse, plowing into the truck that was parked on the level above. The truck slid sideways, its wheels breaching the edge of the pit they all huddled in. Poe’s arms tightened around Rey as they all pressed further back into the far wall, as far away as possible. Several people were screaming. If that truck, and the car resting atop it, fell on top of them, Rey knew, they could very likely be crushed.

The screaming only intensified as part of the movie screen came crashing down on the pile, showering them with sparks and debris and driving the truck further over the edge. Rey’s fingers found Poe’s forearm and held on, and he squeezed her in response. The truck teetered for a moment, right on the edge, and then leveled out. The wind quieted, the roaring ceased. Rey exhaled, slowly.

The twister was gone.

Carefully, the group disentangled themselves and stood up. Rey looked up at the pile of vehicles, destroyed screen and unidentifiable debris that had very nearly landed on top of them. That had been close. _Too_ close.

“You okay?” Poe asked quietly. Around them, some of the others were moving towards the stairs. Rey saw Finn and Rose among them, glad to see Rose walking on her own.

She nodded, taking his hand and following suit. It probably wasn’t a good idea to hang out in a building that could collapse at any time. Although most of the roof was already gone. “Yeah. You?”

Poe blew out a breath. “Yeah.”

Outside, emergency services had arrived, sirens blaring and lights flashing as groups of dazed looking people emerged from several structures. The air was still, the calm after the storm. Rey spotted Rose sitting in the open doorway of her van, Finn and Karé fussing over her. Amazingly, all of their vehicles seemed to be intact, although Jess and Iolo’s SUV was sporting a sizable dent that definitely hadn’t been there before. 

“I’m going to check on Rose.” Rey didn’t wait for Poe’s reply before heading over to the van. The inside looked distinctly messier than usual, papers and spare sensors strewn on the floor. “Rose! Are you okay?”

The other woman looked up with a tired smile. She was holding a can of soda to the side of her head. “I’m fine. Just sore.”

“I don’t think she has a concussion,” Karé asserted.

“Maybe you should get checked out in case?” Finn worried.

Rose shook her head, then winced. “I’m fine, really. Don’t worry, Finn.”

“Okay, Rose?” That was Poe, from over Rey’s shoulder. He’d apparently caught up to her.

Rose started to nod, then clearly thought better of it, and gave him a thumbs-up instead. “I’m good.”

“Snap,” Poe called. “Do we know where it’s going?”

A few feet away, Snap was studying a radar display mounted in the back of his van. He looked down at the map in his hand, then up at Poe. Rey took in the expression on his face. Whatever it was, it wasn’t good.

“It’s moving northeast.” Gone was Snap’s usual cheery tone. “Poe, it’s gonna hit Yavin head-on.”

Rey’s eyes snapped to Poe. He was still staring at Snap, his usual tan complexion rapidly losing color before her eyes. 

“Yeah, okay,” Snap said, in response to some kind of non-verbal exchange between them. He climbed into the back of his van, Karé squeezing Rose’s shoulder before hurrying to join him.

“I gotta go,” Poe said, panic edging his voice, only now looking at Rey.

“I know,” she assured him. “I’m going with you.”

“Shit,” he exhaled, running a hand through his hair. “The phone. Who has the phone?!”

Rose got to her feet. “I’m going, too.”

“Service is down,” Karé shouted back, leaning out the side of the van, cell phone in hand. Poe started towards her. “I just tried!”

“Shit!” Poe cursed again, spinning on his heel and running towards his own truck instead.

“Rose, are you really up for this?” Finn wondered. “You could have a concussion.”

“And Kes could be in real trouble,” she fired back, already getting into the passenger seat. “You can drive if it makes you feel better!”

“Fair enough,” Finn agreed, catching the keys she tossed out the window.

“Jess!” Rey shouted, turning around to find the other woman thankfully, magically, already there, map in hand. “We need the fastest route to Yavin you can get us.”

“On it,” Jess promised. “We can be there in about an hour!”

“You’re the best!” Rey shouted after her, as Jess hurried back towards Iolo and the SUV. Truthfully, she’d expected the drive to be longer; they must have zig-zagged back towards Yavin during their storm chasing earlier in the day. It certainly seemed like they had covered a lot of ground. Pushing the thought aside, she ran after Poe.

“Let’s go, everybody, let’s go!” Snap called from behind her, accompanied by the sound of starting engines.

“Poe!” Rey reached him just as he was getting into the driver’s seat. “Let me drive.”

He looked at her, startled.

“Jess is going to find us the quickest route. And I’ll get you there,” she said softly, firmly, holding his gaze with her own. “I promise.”

He stared at her for a moment, and then nodded, sliding over into the passenger seat. Rey hopped behind the wheel, turned the ignition, put the truck in drive and peeled out of the lot.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whew, this chapter kind of does a 180 from sexy fun times to stress and panic. Hang on to your hats (literally), folks, only two chapters left!


	7. Kes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As is probably reasonably evident from the last chapter, this is the chapter with the more serious injury (but not the minor character death, nobody panic!). This is definitely not intended to be a sad story, but if you would like to know more about what you're getting into, there are details (spoilers!) in the end notes.

It was like a different town.

The downtown area, so cheerful when they’d passed through less than twenty-four hours earlier, was almost unrecognizable in its destruction. Nearly every building had been damaged, the better-off ones with blown out windows and torn up roofs. Others had completely collapsed. There were people in the street, numb with shock, staring with dismay at their shops and homes. Rey slowed down as they drove past, careful to give a wide berth. A child was screaming. The power was out, the streetlights dark, the only light cast from the truck’s headlights and a few small fires burning here and there. The local fire station had itself been hit, but some firefighters were on scene, and Rey could hear sirens approaching.

Poe was frozen in the passenger seat, staring out the window in horror.

Rey kept driving, leaving downtown for the more suburban part of town, the reverse of the route they’d taken the previous morning. Even here, where the houses were more spread apart, hardly any had been spared. She felt anxiety unspooling in her gut as she took in the caved in roofs and overturned cars. Families were standing in their driveways, or on their dark lawns, holding each other close and looking at what little remained of their homes.

“They didn’t have any warning,” she said quietly.

Poe shook his head, pressing a hand over his mouth. His words were muffled. “I can’t-“. His childhood home came into view and whatever he’d been about to say was lost. “Oh my God.”

The house had partially collapsed. The second floor had dropped down on to the first, completely obscuring what had used to be the porch and front door, with large parts of the roof missing. Poe was out of the truck before Rey had even put it in park, sprinting across the lawn.

“Shit, Poe, wait!” Rey scrambled after him, at the last second grabbing a flashlight from the truck. “The house looks like it’s about to go!”

“And Kes is inside!” He shouted back, already climbing up onto the porch roof, which was now slanted so far forward that it touched the ground.

Rey almost retorted that he didn’t know that for sure, but the response died on her lips. Because he _did_ know. The residents of Yavin hadn’t gotten any more warning than they’d had at the motel, maybe less. Kes likely wouldn’t have had time to get to his storm shelter.

“Dad!” Poe shouted, entering the house through a second-story window. Rey carefully climbed up on the roof, following the path he’d taken. “I can’t see a thing-“

“Here.” Rey clicked on the flashlight, shining the beam through the window and into the dark house. She swung a leg over the window ledge, taking in the debris-strewn bedroom. The floor was at an alarming angle.

“You should stay outside,” Poe said from a couple of feet away, holding a hand out for the flashlight.

Rey ignored it, fully entering the room. “You’re not doing this alone.” She nodded further into the house. “Go ahead, I’ll light the way.”

He didn’t argue, turning to take a careful step forward. “Dad!”

“Kes!” Rey echoed, trying to see through the debris. Across the room, a chair toppled over.

Poe paused in the doorway, glancing back at her. “Watch your step out here.”

She followed him into the hallway. The hanging pictures she’d noticed just the previous morning lay in shards of glass on the crumpled floor. The stairs had been compressed into a pile of smashed wood.

“Rey! Poe!” That was Finn, just outside.

“We’re okay!” She called back.

“Dad?” Poe called again, his voice pained, and they both paused to listen hard. Rey wasn’t sure where they should look first. His bedroom? Or would Kes have made it downstairs?

“Poe?” She heard a reply, so faint she thought at first she’d imagined it. Poe had clearly heard it too, his whole body going taut for a split second before he scrambled over the remains of the stairs.

“Wait, don’t trip,” Rey cautioned, hurrying after him to light his path. Just past the stairs, in what she thought had once been the living room, was Kes. He was trapped under a bookcase that had fallen on him sideways, his head and one arm visible on one side, and his legs on the other. His head was bloodied, but he was conscious.

“Dad! Oh my God,” Poe was beside him in a second.

“I’m okay,” Kes said weakly.

“We need to get this off him,” Poe said, looking up at Rey, before back down at Kes. Rey nodded quickly, setting down the flashlight. “Dad, hang on. We’re gonna get you out of here.”

“Oh shit,” came a voice from behind them, and Rey turned with a start to see Finn. She’d been so focused on Kes, she hadn’t noticed him picking his way through the debris towards them. “Here, let me help.”

She and Finn lifted the bookcase, carefully shifting it to one side while Poe helped Kes move to the other. Kes’ shirt had some blood on it, as well, but his limbs were all moving fine, and he seemed reasonably alert. The house trembled around them as she and Finn set the bookcase on the floor, plaster raining down on their heads.

“We need to get out of here,” Rey stated.

“Do you think you can walk?” Poe asked Kes.

“Oh, sure.” Kes waved a hand. “I’m fine, really.”

It was still clearly an effort for him to get on his feet, Poe taking most of his weight. Rey hurried to support his other side, while Finn grabbed the flashlight and led the way back to the window they’d come in. Snap was just outside, on the roof. Together, the four of them eased Kes through the window and down the sloping roof to the ground. Someone had clearly had the foresight to track down an ambulance, for one was pulling up just as they crossed the lawn.

“Wasn’t expecting to see you all again so soon,” Kes quipped, as he limped towards it, still supported by Poe and Rey.

“You know us,” Jess teased. “Always looking for the next meal.”

Kes smiled at her, then frowned at the sight of the stretcher emerging from the back of the ambulance. “This is not really necessary,” he insisted, as the paramedics approached, guiding him to lie down.

“It’s definitely necessary,” Poe retorted. He turned to the nearest paramedic. “He’ll be okay?”

“We’ll get him patched up,” the paramedic reassured them. “They’ll probably want to keep him at the hospital for a bit for observation.”

Poe nodded. “Thanks.”

“Is your family still in Yavin?” Rey asked Snap, the thought suddenly occurring to her with horror. She felt a flare of relief when he shook his head.

“Nah,” he explained. “They moved a few years back to be closer to us.” He frowned. “I don’t know if I want to know what my old house looks like.”

As if in reply, a creaking sound had them all looking back towards Kes’ house, which was collapsing further in on itself to the tune of splintering wood.

“Oh man,” Kes groaned. “There it goes.”

Poe went to stand by Kes’ head. “Dad. I’m so sorry.”

“What are you apologizing for?” Kes reached for his hand. “You rescued me. You, and Rey, and Finn, and all of you.” He offered a smile to Rey, who stood a few feet away, before looking back up at his son. Rey felt a bit like she was intruding on a private moment, but she wasn’t sure where else to go.

“We came as soon as we heard,” Poe admitted.

“There was no warning,” Kes said quietly. “The sirens went off just seconds before.”

Poe shook his head, biting down on his lip. His expression mirrored exactly what Rey felt. It wasn’t enough time. There was _never_ enough time. She’d learned it the hard way twenty years earlier. She didn’t want to see anyone she cared about, or anyone at all, go through that too.

“We’re gonna get him loaded up,” the paramedic told Poe, as he secured Kes to the stretcher.

“I’ll meet you at the hospital,” Poe told his dad.

“Hey, Poe?” Rey turned to see Karé approaching, Rose just behind her. “I’m sorry, we can totally just ignore it, but…there’s another storm beginning to form, about 30 miles south. NSSL’s predicting an F5.”

Poe’s eyes shifted from Karé to Rey. They stared at one another for a long moment. She felt like he was asking her what he should do, but how could she tell him that? How could she tell him how to choose between staying with his injured dad or chasing the storm and hopefully putting a stop to all of this?

In the end, she didn’t have to.

“Poe.” Kes caught his son’s hand again. The paramedics paused in moving him towards the ambulance. “It’s gonna happen to someone else. You can stop it.” Poe stared down at his dad, his face tight with emotion. “I’m okay,” Kes reassured him. “You go, and I’ll be here when you get back.”

After a long moment, Poe nodded, and Kes released his hand. The paramedics loaded him into the ambulance, and Poe turned to Rey, letting out a long breath and running a hand through his hair.

“Are you okay?” She asked him, then winced. “Shit, sorry, of course you’re not.” He shrugged, noncommittal, and Rey impulsively stepped forward to give him a hug, for only the briefest second worrying about what any of their team might think. His arms tightened around her immediately, and as he buried his nose in her hair and exhaled another deep breath, she decided right then and there that she didn’t care.

When they pulled apart, Poe left his hands on her shoulders. “I’ve been thinking. Maybe you shouldn’t ride with me on this one.”

Rey blinked. “After all we’ve been through the last two days-“ And she wasn’t only talking about tornadoes, although they were certainly a big part of it. “- _now_ you want me to stay back?” She tried not to feel insulted, or annoyed, but didn’t entirely succeed.

“No, it’s just-“ Poe released her shoulders to run a hand through his hair again. She’d noticed he seemed to do that when he was stressed. “Rey, I don’t think I’d be able to live with myself if anything happened to you. And, especially after tonight, I’m not sure I can take you being at risk.”

Well, that took the wind right out of her sails. But, now that he mentioned it-

“And you think it’d be any easier for me to sit back and let you go alone?” She retorted, albeit more gently, before taking his face in her hands. She knew at least some of their team was watching, not close enough to hear their words - she didn’t think -, but they were certainly reading the body language. “We go together, and we look out for each other. Okay?”

He met her eyes, finally nodding. “Okay.”

“Okay.” She repeated.

As they stepped apart, Rey’s eyes were drawn to some metal pinwheels on the neighbor’s lawn, just visible in the light from the departing ambulance. They were spinning in the breeze.

“What?” Poe asked, following her gaze.

“Look.” She pointed, eyes still fixed on the pinwheels. “That’s how we make BB fly.”

“The pinwheels?” She could tell the second he put it together. “You’re right. Rey, you’re a genius. Rey’s a genius,” he announced, turning back to face the team, and Rey’s face flushed bright red.

“Well, obviously,” Finn retorted, winking at her when she finally turned around.

“Okay, we need every aluminum can we can find!” Poe called out, giving orders. “And I need the last two BB units in the back of my truck. We need everyone on this. Let’s go, people!”

\------------

The sun came up as they drove south, Poe back behind the wheel, bathing the truck in a rosy glow. Rey couldn’t help but sneak periodic glances at her companion in the growing light, and Poe was doing much the same. Come to think of it, neither one of them was particularly sneaky about it. Rey knew they should discuss what had happened back at the motel, and whatever it did or didn’t mean, but that was maybe _not_ a conversation best had en route to a tornado, or with their close friends and colleagues on the other end of the radio. Their caravan was the same as it always was, except everyone not driving - Iolo, Rose and Snap, at present - were in the back of Snap and Karé’s van, cutting pinwheel shaped adornments out of soda cans and attaching them to each and every sensor.

As they came around a bend, farmland stretching out ahead of them, Rey saw it in the distance. It was the biggest tornado she’d ever seen. It had been an F5 that had killed her parents; she wondered if this was what it had looked like.

“I’ve never seen anything like it,” She said quietly.

Poe’s hand found hers, his eyes never leaving the road. “Me either,” he murmured, giving her hand a squeeze. “You ready for this?”

She squeezed back. “I’m ready. Karé,” she called, now addressing the radio. “Are we set?”

“Copy that!” Karé called back. “Good to go!”

“Okay, stopping here!” Poe called, slowing the truck to a stop. They were in the middle of the road, but it hardly mattered. No one else was there.

Rey got out of the truck, heading towards Snap and Karé’s van, the caboose of their line of vehicles. The back door opened and Snap, Iolo and Rose tumbled out, all carrying boxes of sensors.

“Check it out,” Iolo offered, holding the box towards Rey. She plucked a sensor from inside, holding it up to better see. Where before it had simply been a small plastic sphere full of electronics, now it had two aluminum pinwheels screwed into the top, almost like wings.

“This is great.” Rey grinned at him. “This is going to work.”

He grinned back, and they hurried with the others back to the truck, where Poe had lowered the tailgate and climbed into the bed. Snap hopped up to help him, and together they dumped the boxes of sensors into the two remaining BB units. BB-7 and BB-8.

“Okay,” Poe asserted, closing the lid on each unit. “We’re ready. You guys stay back as far as you can, alright?”

“We will,” Snap replied, clapping him on the shoulder and looking down to Rey. “You two be careful.”

She nodded, as they climbed down from the truck and Poe slammed the tailgate closed. There wasn’t much else to say, just cheers, encouraging nods, and meaningful looks between friends as they all moved back to their own vehicles. Rey caught Finn’s eye for the briefest moment, and he nodded. She heard the unspoken message. _Stay safe_.

And then she and Poe were back in the truck, speeding down the road and taking the next turn towards the still moving tornado.

“So what do you think?” Rey asked, peering out the windshield at the violent storm.

“I think we’re gonna get a little closer and then put BB in the middle of the road.”

Rey considered. “Yeah, that makes sense.” The tornado was approaching on an angle, on a path to cross the road a bit further up. They could put BB close enough to get picked up as it swept by, and then back up before the twister reached them. She watched the storm like a hawk as they neared, ready to alert Poe to any sudden change in its path.

“Okay, this is good!” Poe asserted, hitting the brakes. Rey threw open her door, immediately greeted by the whipping winds and the all-familiar deafening roar. It was audible from inside the truck, but considerably more so without the protection of the glass. She met Poe at the back and, together, they lifted BB-7 out and carried the instrument to just in front of the truck. The tornado was close to the road now, getting nearer by the second. Poe ran through the start-up sequence, flipping switches and pressing buttons with the speed of someone who had done it a million times before. BB-7’s sirens came on. “Alright, let’s go!” He shouted, barely audible over the roar.

Back in the truck, Poe turned them around and headed away from the twister. Rey watched BB grow smaller in the rearview mirror. The storm still looked enormous.

“Snap, are you guys in position?” Poe called.

The radio crackled. “We’re ready,” Snap affirmed. “As soon as BB starts reporting data, we’ll be recording it.”

Poe brought the truck to a stop, glancing over at Rey. “This is going to work,” he said with a smile, unknowingly echoing her own words from earlier.

She nodded, smiling back. “Yes, it is.”

As if of the same mind, they both lowered their windows and hoisted their upper bodies through the open space and out of the car, turning back to watch. Rey leaned her elbow on the roof of the truck and grinned over at Poe.

“Almost there.”

BB-7 was moving in the wind now, sliding back and forth across the road.

“Come on, come on,” Rey murmured, as if she could will the instrument into the air on the strength of her own hopes.

Poe was shaking his head, as BB-7 continued to slide along the pavement, never leaving the ground. “It’s still too light.”

“It can’t be!” Rey retorted. “This has to work. COME ON!” She shouted at the storm.

“It’s not gonna work.”

The words had no sooner left Poe’s mouth than an uprooted tree sailed out of the storm and directly into BB-7, tipping it on to its side and scattering sensors everywhere. Rey winced. It was just like the previous day, with the telephone pole.

“Dammit!” Poe cursed, slapping his hand against the roof. “We almost had it.”

But Rey was distracted from his words by the the sight of another uprooted tree flying out of the storm, the winds propelling it along the ground and right for the truck.

“POE!” She didn’t wait for his reaction, pulling herself back down into the vehicle. He landed in the seat beside her a half-second later, hitting the gas. They were both thrown forward and then back as the tree slid right under the truck, the back wheels jarred off the ground. They spun a one-eighty, now facing the oncoming storm, coming to a stop with the tree still beneath them, between the front and back wheels.

Poe put the truck in reverse and hit the gas, the wheels spinning futilely against the tree and the pavement.

“Poe, we need to get out of here!” Rey’s eyes were fixed on the tornado, drawing closer.

“I’m trying!” He shouted back, still pressing down on the gas. “Come on!” He urged the truck.

“Poe, hurry!” Rey’s focus narrowed in on something moving in the storm. Something big and coming nearer. “Okay, what is that?!”

Poe glanced up from his focus on the gear shift and pedals, his face paling. “I have no idea.” He hit the gas with renewed fervor. “We need to get off this thing NOW!”

Rey suddenly got a better glimpse of the object in the storm as it sailed closer, caught in the rotating winds. “Oh shit. HURRY!” It was a tanker truck, eighteen-wheeler, and now it was sliding right along the road, not unlike the tree had only minutes before, heading straight for them. Rey wasn’t prone to panic, but she could feel it crawling up her throat. Poe was putting his full weight on the gas pedal, the tires squealing, but the tree beneath the truck ensured that they weren’t going anywhere.

“Hang on!” Poe shouted, and they both ducked, covering their heads with their arms, as the tanker closed the last few feet and clipped the front of their truck. The impact was substantial, sending them into a spin, the back wheels lifting off the ground in the wind. They were still in once piece, however, and Rey cautiously opened her eyes to see that the tanker had itself been lifted, flying up and over them, missing the roof by mere feet. Even better was that they were finally off of the tree, and again facing away from the storm, so Poe grabbed the wheel and floored the gas. They had driven maybe twenty feet when the tanker descended again, crashing into the road ahead of them in an explosion of flame and debris.

Rey shrieked.

Poe swerved hard, just narrowly stopping them from driving straight through the fire. They drove around the flames and into the field, getting back on the road on the other side. There was another explosion behind them, as whatever remained of the tanker went up.

“You okay?” He panted, sounding like he’d just run ten miles.

“Uh huh,” she managed, equally out of breath. “You?”

“Rey, Poe, are you guys alright?” Snap shouted.

“Yeah, we’re okay,” Rey answered. It was mostly true, anyway. Her heart was still thundering in her chest, and she imagined Poe felt the same.

“Did you see that explosion?” Snap continued, sounding a little bit awed.

Her eyes met Poe’s for a split second before they responded. “We saw it,” Poe said flatly.

“It’s moving northeast towards 12,” Rose reported.

Rey looked over her shoulder. The tornado had crossed the road behind them and was in the field to their left, moving on a diagonal.

“What do you think?” Poe asked.

Rey glanced at him. “I think we’ve got one more shot at this.”

Poe nodded. “We have to make BB heavier, anchor it somehow.”

“With what?” Rey wondered, thinking hard. They didn’t have much, most of their supplies with the rest of the team. There wasn’t enough time to go back there to get anything.

Poe was quiet for a moment, clearly thinking too. “The truck.”

“The truck?” Rey glanced over at him. “But it’s your truck.”

He shrugged. “I can get another truck. It’s worth it.”

“We’ll have to get out of the way beforehand,” Rey pointed out. “There won’t be much time.”

“We’ll just have to be fast.” He reached over and squeezed her hand. “What do you think?”

Rey pondered it. “I think we can do it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kes Dameron is injured when his house collapses during a tornado. He ends up being okay, but it’s initially unclear if that is the case.


	8. F5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Somehow the last couple of weeks got away from me, and I've left poor Rey and Poe stranded in the middle of a twister for longer than I planned, oops. So at last, here is the belated final chapter! This has been so much fun, thanks everyone for coming along for the ride!
> 
> This is the chapter with the minor character death. It happens very early on and is probably unlikely to make anyone particularly upset, but there are more (spoilery) details in the endnotes if you'd like to take a look.

They’d driven straight through the intersection with route 12, gauging that they wouldn’t have enough time to get ahead of the tornado if they turned. It was still moving on a diagonal, on track to intercept 12 further up. Jess had alerted them to a smaller country road a bit further along which seemed like a better bet. Both Rey and Poe were keeping a careful eye on the storm, watching for any shift in its path.

“Would you look at that.” Poe nodded to the rearview mirror. “Hugs.” And sure enough, the black SUV was just approaching the intersection behind them, coming up 12 from the opposite direction. It was just the one; Rey assumed his team had hung back to stay out of harm’s way and record the data, just as theirs had. Instead of turning to follow Rey and Poe, it stayed straight on its current path. “They’re staying on 12. They won’t be able to get ahead of it that way.”

“I don’t know,” Rey twisted in her seat to look. “The twister’s shifted course a bit, or maybe it stalled a little? it’s running almost parallel to the road.”

Poe glanced back, too, before refocusing on the road ahead. “If it stays that way, they might just be able to pull it off. They’re closer than we are.”

Rey shook her head. “They don’t know to anchor it.” Poe’s eyes met hers for a long moment. What was more important here, really? The science or the rivalry?

He fiddled with a switch on the radio. “Hux, this is Poe, do you copy?” Rey realized it was the first time she’d heard Poe call him something other than Hugs. They reached the left for the country road, and Poe made the turn. They had a much better view now, both Hux and the twister ahead of them and to the left.

“Bit busy, Dameron.” Hux’s prim voice came back through the receiver.

“Hux, listen. The instrument is too light to be picked up by the twister. You have to anchor it to something.”

“Oh, now we’re sharing information?” Hux sounded disdainful. 

“Hux, seriously - what?” For Rey had grabbed Poe’s arm, her eyes fixed on the tornado.

“Tell him to hang back.”

“Why would we hang back?” Hux retorted sharply, clearly having heard her. “We’re in perfect position. Unless, of course, you’re trying to manipulate me into letting you get there first.”

“No, that’s not-“ I’m not you, Rey wanted to say, but now wasn’t the time. She watched Hux’s SUV speed closer to the enormous tornado. In another minute, they would be right alongside it. The base of the twister had to be at least a mile wide, Hux’s SUV tiny in comparison. “It’s sticking very close to the road, and its path has been unstable. If it shifts course even a little, it’ll come right at you.”

“Rey’s right,” Poe affirmed. “We’ve got a good visual. Just slow down a second!”

“Thanks for the advice,” Hux retorted testily. “But I know what I’m doing.” The SUV didn’t slow down.

“Poe.” Rey’s voice was quiet, tense, as she put a hand on his shoulder. She didn’t have to say anything else. He had as good an eye for storms as she did, she knew he could see what was happening.

“HUX!” Poe shouted at the radio. “It’s shifting towards you! Mitaka, are you listening?” Rey hadn’t even known the name of Hux’s driver until that moment. “TURN THE CAR AROUND!”

Rey felt her heart climb up into her throat as she watched the twister move towards the black SUV. She could hear muddled shouting and commotion over the radio, but nothing discernible. Then only static. She stared out the windshield in horror as the SUV was lifted off the ground, soaring around the outer edge of the tornado. It flew for perhaps thirty seconds and then plummeted towards the ground, exploding in a ball of flame.

Rey flinched.

Beside her, Poe pounded the steering wheel. “Of all the stupid-“ He shouted, cutting himself off mid-sentence. “Why couldn’t he just-“

Rey reached for his hand, squeezing hard. Her heart ached. She might not have cared much for Hux, but he hadn’t deserved this. “We did everything we could.”

“I know, I just-“ He shook his head, curls flying. He turned to face her, eyes blazing. “We’re finishing this. Today. Now.”

She nodded, still holding his hand. “Okay.”

“Poe, Rey,” Karé called to them over the radio. “The ground speed is increasing. You have to get ahead of it, and fast!”

Rey glanced up. They’d been distracted by Hux and Mitaka’s deaths, but the twister was still moving. Its adjusted direction had taken it across 12 and into the farmland to their left, on a fast-moving path to intersect with the road up ahead of them. They could either hang back and end up behind it again, or try to get out in front. As the tornado tore through the farm, sending debris flying, Poe stepped on the gas. The wind picked up around them, falling pieces of wood and metal and who knew what else bouncing off the truck and the road in front of them. Something hit the windshield, cracking it.

A large piece of fence crashed into the road just ahead, and Poe swerved hard to the left. He almost immediately had to swerve back to the right when a tractor rolled into their path.

“Debris!” Rey shouted, for the benefit of the team, as Poe continued to expertly dodge the cars, fences, and farming equipment scattered in the road, with more accumulating every second. Not for the first time, she was glad Poe was an excellent driver, but knew even he couldn’t keep this up forever. 

“Are you guys okay?” Jess shouted.

Rey shook her head. “We need to get further ahead of it,” she told Poe. “Or we’re going to be taken out by a tractor.”

Poe nodded, his hands tightly gripping the wheel. “I was just thinking the same thing.” He floored it.

“It’s going to cross the road behind us,” Rey reported, watching the storm in the rearview. She felt confident that they’d gotten far enough ahead to be out of immediate harm’s way. “Can we get into the field once it does, approach on an angle?”

Poe glanced over his shoulder, assessing. “That should work. Snap, are you ready?”

“All set up,” Snap called back. “You going for it?”

“Copy that,” Poe affirmed.

Rey turned around to open the window to the truck bed. “I’ll get BB-8 set up.”

“Be careful,” Poe warned.

She only stuck her upper body out this time, certain she could reach all of the switches without fully exiting the cab. When the sirens were blaring and BB-8 ready to go, she slid back into her seat. “We’re good.”

\------------

Poe took the next right onto a dirt road, along the edge of a cornfield. The twister was in the cornfield, too, having crossed the road, and Rey could see it out her window. Poe slowed the truck, allowing the storm to get slightly ahead, and then took a slight right-turn into the field. They were plowing through the corn stalks now, approaching the tornado from the side.

“Are you ready?” Poe asked her.

Rey nodded. They were rapidly catching up to the twister. “Ready if you are.”

“Setting cruise control.” Poe glanced her way. “On three?”

“On three.”

Rey opened her door into the cornstalks and stood up on the very edge of the truck’s interior, holding tightly onto the roof and the top of the door. The sensation felt like flying, the truck still speeding towards the tornado, but there wasn’t time to appreciate it. She glanced over at Poe, on the opposite side.

“Ready?” He shouted.

“Yep!” She yelled back. “One, two, THREE!”

As soon as she shouted three, Rey used her legs to propel herself away from the moving truck, landing more or less on her feet before tumbling into a roll. She scrambled up immediately, running back to the flattened path left behind by the truck. Poe emerged from the corn stalks on the opposite side, and they instinctively reached for each other while turning to watch the truck on its final approach.

“Go, go, go,” Rey urged it.

“Come on!” Poe chimed in.

As the truck reached the twister, the lid of BB-8 flew open, the sensors lifting out and soaring into the rotating winds. Rey watched in awe as they rose higher and higher, circling throughout the storm. A beat later, Poe’s entire truck and the rest of BB-8’s structure were lifted from the ground, sucked into the twister and out of sight.

“It worked!” Rey exclaimed, turning to Poe. “It really worked!”

He was still staring up at the storm, but now he turned to face her, beaming. “I can’t believe it. We did it.” And then he kissed her, hard. Overcome with too many emotions to interrogate, Rey kissed him back. The kiss was brief, but they stayed in each other’s arms, hugging tightly. 

As if on instinct, they both turned to look at the tornado. Rey’s heart dropped to see it shifting direction, yet again, this time chewing up the cornstalks on a path straight to them.

“Shit!” Poe said, seeing it too. “Come on!”

He grabbed her hand and they ran through the corn, the storm an unforgettable, roaring, presence behind them. Corn stalks smacked Rey in the face, making it hard to see where they were going. Until the cornfield ended abruptly, and they stumbled into a farmyard. A fence ran along the edge of the field, enclosing an area likely meant for animals, with a barn and a few other structures on the far side. The fence planks were bending in the wind, before beginning to rip apart and take flight.

“Look out!” Rey cried, ducking as one sailed towards them.

“Head for the buildings!” Poe shouted.

“Here, we can get through!” Rey stepped through a new opening in the fence, Poe just behind her, before taking off at a run for the buildings on the far side. Fence boards continued to sail by, some imbedding themselves in the wall of the barn like wooden spears. 

“This way!” Poe grabbed her hand again, pulling her past the barn to a smaller building. The barn shook behind them, large pieces of the roof coming up and sailing over their heads. They both ducked on instinct. “HURRY!”

It took their combined strength to pull open the door against the wind but, once inside, Rey saw why Poe had chosen it. It was the farm’s pump house, with sturdy looking pipes coming up out of the ground.

“These pipes go down at least thirty feet,” Poe shouted. In another, less panicked moment, Rey might have appreciated that he clearly knew his way around a farm. “We need to anchor ourselves to them!”

Rey immediately looked around, her eyes falling on a long strip of leather. She ran to grab it. “How about this?!”

Poe took it from her and pulled her tight against him, her back to his chest, wrapping it around them both. She reached for the other end, nimbly looping it around the pipe, and then they hunkered down, holding tight to the plumbing. Poe was breathing in her ear, his arms around her middle, and Rey was reminded of that first day, when they’d taken shelter under the overpass in almost exactly this position. Had that really only been two days earlier? It felt like so much had happened since then.

The roof blew off the pump house, the walls collapsing. Rey and Poe both ducked, trying to shield their heads. The storm roared, and the winds whipped around them, pulling the leather strap taut. The twister wasn’t right on top of them, Rey knew, but it was very, very close. Her feet left the ground as the wind lifted her, her hands tightening their hold on the pipe and the leather cutting into her waist. Poe’s arms disappeared from around her, moving to hold on as well, but she knew he was still there, could feel his weight pressed against her even as they lifted off the ground. It was different than what she remembered from the only other F5 she’d ever experienced. Then, it had been darkness and crushing pressure, everything falling on top of them. This time, everything was flying away, including Rey herself. It was less scary like this, more exhilarating, even as she knew that a well pipe and one strong piece of leather were all that kept she and Poe from being swept into the storm.

She idly wondered if her parents had been afraid, at the end.

Time distorted as the storm roared by. It was probably only minutes, but felt simultaneously like mere seconds and like hours before the the winds began to ease, and then abruptly dissipated, Rey returning to earth with a thump. She was on her back, staring up at a rapidly lightening sky, the tornado having completely disappeared. One of the pipes had been damaged, water spraying over her like she was running beneath a sprinkler. Poe was laying beside her, and she glanced over to find him watching her.

“Hey.”

He smiled. “Hey.”

They sat up slowly, freeing themselves from the life-saving apparatus and looking around. The barn was a smashed pile of wood, but horses ran freely in the nearby field. The family who lived here was just emerging from their storm shelter, all safe. And their house was still standing. 

“We did it,” Poe said, looking amazed at that fact.

“ _You_ did it,” Rey corrected. Credit where credit was due. “This is the result of your _years_ of hard work.”

Poe looked at her earnestly. “I couldn’t have done it without you.” She couldn’t help but roll her eyes at the sappiness of the line, and he laughed. “I’m serious!”

Rey laughed, too.

“I can’t do the next part without you, either,” he added, earnest again. “Stay on at NSSL after your fellowship’s up. I’ll talk to Leia, do whatever I need to-“

“She already asked me,” Rey admitted. “On Thursday. It’s not official yet, but she wants me to stay.”

“And what do you want?”

That was an easy answer. “There isn’t really anything for me back at Jakku. Certainly not in England.” Rey smiled at Poe. “I want to stay.”

He beamed. “This is amazing. Rey, we have so much to do! We have to analyze the data, we’ll probably need more lab space. We’re going to have to get grants to develop a new warning system, you have grant writing experience, right?” He was talking a mile a minute, and Rey couldn’t help but laugh. She wasn’t about to point out that her offer to stay was technically for Leia’s lab, not that the older woman was likely to deny Poe anything. “What?”

“Just you,” she said, nudging him playfully. “You’re so excited.”

“Well, obviously,” he retorted, and then his smile turned sly. “And one more thing.” He scooted closer on the wet grass, getting his arms around her waist. “Go on a date with me?”

_Yes!_ was on her lips, but there was one thing she needed to address first. “Is that a good idea, if we’re going to be working in the same lab? Or even adjoining ones?”

Poe frowned. “It doesn’t have to be a problem. It’s never been an issue with Snap and Karé.”

“Neither of them reports to the other,” she reminded him. She was also pretty sure they’d been together a long time.

“Well, and you shouldn’t report to me, obviously,” he retorted. “Which you won’t if you stay affiliated with Leia’s lab. And you should, she’s the best mentor you could ask for.”

Rey smiled. “I know.”

“You know I was still in her lab when I first came up with the idea for BB?” Poe smiled fondly. “I would’ve built it for her lab in a heartbeat, but she encouraged me to start my own. Said I should get all the credit.”

“She’s pretty extraordinary,” Rey agreed.

“And she won’t care if you date me, as long as we’re professional,” Poe tacked on with a smirk. “But if this is your polite way of letting me down, just tell me. I’ll back off.”

Rey laughed, running a hand through his hair. “No, it’s not that. I really like you, Poe. I’ve just worked really hard to get where I am, you know? As have you. I don’t want to do anything that would get either of us in trouble.”

“We won’t,” Poe said firmly, taking her face in his hands. “I mean it. Trust me?”

She turned her head to press a kiss to his palm. “You know I do.”

“And yet you still haven’t agreed to that date,” he teased.

Rey pretended to think about it. “Hmm,” she pondered.

“You’re going to have to give me a firmer no than that, Niima,” Poe told her, ducking in to press a quick kiss to her lips. “Otherwise I’ll keep pursuing you. Relentlessly.”

Rey thought she might be okay with that.

A cacophony of honking horns announced the arrival of the team, the three vehicles pulling to a stop on the nearby dirt road. The group tumbled out and raced across the grass to where Rey and Poe were just getting to their feet, everyone talking at once.

“That was amazing!” Iolo shouted.

“Are you guys okay?” Karé checked, glancing around at the debris littering the fields.

“The sensors worked!” Rose chimed in excitedly. “We’ve got more data than we know what to do with!”

“It was the biggest twister ever recorded in Oklahoma,” Finn added.

Poe slid an arm around Rey’s shoulders with a smile. “Well, I guess we’ve got a lot of work to do.”

“Uh huh, okay,” Jess wagged a finger between Rey and Poe, grinning. “What is going on here then? Did I or did I not see the two of you emerging from a motel room together before a twister last night?”

“And they were looking awfully cosy at Kes’ earlier,” Snap tacked on with a smirk.

Poe looked over at Rey. She shrugged, smiled. In answer to his friends, he leaned over to kiss her, and Rey kissed him back.

“I knew it!” Jess crowed.

“Shush, Pava,” Poe said, when they’d pulled apart.

Rey risked a glance at Finn. He raised an eyebrow, and then grinned in response to her casual shrug.

“Can’t take you two anywhere,” he teased, and everyone laughed.

“So are we headed back to NSSL?” Snap wondered.

“You guys go ahead,” Poe said. “I want to check in on my dad on the way back.” He paused, realizing something. “Actually, I’m going to need a lift.”

“And a new truck,” Iolo quipped.

“We’ll drive you,” Jess offered, her eyes still sparkling with merriment. “Plenty of time on the way to grill you about this relationship development.”

“Oh, please, don’t,” Iolo groaned, as they all started back towards the vehicles. “I don’t need the details.”

“You can head back to NSSL, if you’d rather,” Poe told Rey quietly, catching her hand as they walked. “I just want to check in on my dad.”

“Of course,” she agreed. “I can go with you, if you want me to, but if you’d rather just go with Jess and Iolo-“

“Come with me,” he said, stopping to face her. “Please?”

Looking at this face, Rey could see how much of a toll the last day had taken on him. For all of his enthusiasm over their success, he’d also lost his childhood home, seen his dad injured, seen his beloved state ravaged by the most violent storms in its history. She leaned up just a bit - he was only just taller than she - and kissed him.

“I’m here for whatever you need.”

When they parted, Poe smiled, and - hand in hand - they hurried to catch up with the others.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hux and his driver Mitaka are killed when their SUV is picked up and thrown by a tornado, causing it to explode. Rey and Poe try to intercede, but are not successful, and end up watching it happen.
> 
> Sorry Hux (and Mitaka)!!!!! I really do love you, but you were the obvious choice for the villain in this.


End file.
